Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Theo hadn’t wanted to go into the McCall house. If Liam had a nickel for every time he’d ended up fighting back to back with Theo in that hospital he’d have two nickels weirdly enough. The first time Theo had escaped into the night right after, intent on getting the hell out of dodge before they could send him back. This time Liam wasn’t giving him a choice. He’d climbed into the passenger seat of Theo’s truck as soon as it was established that they were meeting at the McCall house to regroup. As much as he’d wanted to go with Corey and Mason he wanted to make sure Theo ended up there as well. He wasn’t being subtle about his end goal. It wouldn’t have mattered if he’d tried to be sneaky because Theo would have caught on so he didn’t bother with it. He continued being as blunt as possible when they parked. “We’re going inside and you can think about abandoning our pack tomorrow morning.”

“It’s not abandoning and it’s not my pack.” Theo isn’t putting up an actual fight. He’s clearly exhausted in so many different ways so he just unbuckles while he makes his bullshit claim.

“You’re something pack adjacent at minimum. We can argue about this later though I want to make sure everyone is ok.” Liam throws himself out of the truck as soon as Theo’s door is open and he knows he doesn’t have to worry about Theo leaving quite yet. He pushes the door open much too aggressively and throws himself at Lori who is hovering by the door having spotted the truck outside.

“Shit Li I thought we were dead.” Lori is crying. Liam is crying too. Theo is awkwardly standing in the door. Finally Lori releases him enough to drag Brett into it. She’s oddly dusty so by the time he releases Brett the tacky blood he’d been covered with has become sludge like. Brett does clap Theo on the shoulder moving him more firmly into the house before reattaching himself to Liam.

“What’s the line looking like for showers?” He can’t imagine that there’s a single person who doesn’t want to wash the experience off.

“We’re up next. You took a little longer than we’d imagined getting back from the hospital and you’re still not all here.”

“Melissa may have been taking Nolan home? I wasn’t getting in a car with him after that no matter how much he helped. Mason and Corey were on their way too so I’m choosing not to question the time they’re taking.” Malia emerges from one of the bathrooms upstairs which meant, after a quick round of rock, paper, scissors Liam was being hauled upstairs behind Brett. With the guest room running low on spare clothes Liam ends up borrowing sweats from Brett that he already knows will be way too long.

What follows is possibly the least sexy experience he’s had while naked with his boyfriend. The water that comes off them is concerningly colored for several minutes and multiple rounds of soap. Having his hair washed by Brett is nice and Liam does allow himself a moment to slump against the other boy's chest and breathe in the comforting scent. They try not to loiter though.

Back downstairs Lori is gone having finally gotten her turn and the rest of the group has returned. There seems to be a consensus going on in the kitchen trying to figure out food. Mason and Corey aren’t quite as gross as he had been but he still hopes he isn’t re-dirtied after embracing the two of them.

With everyone back the older members, minus Brett, make their way upstairs while the younger group piles into the living room to settle in for the night. They make quick work of turning the pullout into a bed and blowing up the air mattress. “Theo you can have the recliner unless you’re interested in snuggling up with us on the pullout or Corey and Mason on the air mattress?” The look Corey gives makes it clear that Theo is not welcome to snuggle up with Corey or Mason, not that Liam thought he'd particularly wanted to.

Liam ends up in the middle of the pull out wrapped around Brett’s back while Lori starfishes next to them. Quickly everyone else drops off into sleep. Everyone except for Theo who’s heart was slow but not slow enough for him to be sleeping. Liam has a sinking feeling that he’s waiting to make a break for it. Is it too much to ask that he get one night of knowing everyone he cares about is safe? The creak of Theo getting out of the recliner, which was a sound most people wouldn’t have heard, tells Liam it is.

Liam gives Theo a few seconds of a head start before slinking away from Brett’s warmth to follow behind. He’s not trying to be sneaky but he doesn’t want to wake anyone else. “Following me Liam? Didn’t you get enough of that last year?” Theo has paused on the porch, keys in hand.

“Aren’t you tired of being alone? You must be because why else would you show up to help when you could have been anywhere else.”

“I came back so I didn’t owe you anymore. My debts are paid so I’m free to leave without you or Scott tracking me down.”

“I broke the sword in that elevator right after you saved me. It's not about debts. You did what you did, no one is denying that. What matters is what you do next. You can’t replace what you did but you can make different choices.”

“I’m leaving, that's what I’m doing next.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be some big, bad, chimera of death? How are you running from something as simple as a sleepover?” It’s a testament to how bone tired Liam is that he’s startled by Brett joining them on the porch.

“It’s these late night heart to hearts that I’m not interested in.” Theo is sneering. It’s clear he doesn’t like being confronted let alone by multiple people.

“We wouldn’t be having this conversation if you weren’t trying to sneak off into the night.” Liam knows he’s starting to sound agitated which is fitting because he’s starting to feel agitated too.

“We wouldn’t be having this conversation if you had stayed in the living room or hell gone with Mason and Corey.” Theo has to be exhausted. There’s not a chance he’d sound so emotional if he wasn’t.

“Give it up Theo. You’re stuck with them. You might as well stop fighting.” Brett’s given into being clingy. He’s draped himself over Liam nosing at his hair after speaking up.

“You’re delusional.”

“And you’re a massive jackass. You’ve also repeatedly stepped up to save Liam and the McCall pack. If you didn’t want to end up attached to them then you should have left them for dead. We fought together tonight, that means something.” At this point Liam is letting Brett argue with Theo. Maybe he’ll do better at explaining to Theo that he is pack. Maybe Brett’s exasperation will be what they need to get Theo back in the house so Liam can pass out for a week.

When their argument hits the five minute mark Liam tags back in. He’s too tired for this shit. It's clear he's been almost forgotten which he tries to use to his advantage. “Theo get back inside. You might not want a pack anymore but you have one. Leaving won’t change it so don’t bother.” He decides to follow up his words with force. He is stronger than Theo is as a chimera and it's clear that he’s exhausted enough that he won’t be able to put up a fight.

The keys to Theo’s truck are easy to steal and pass off to Brett when Theo inevitably retaliates by punching him directly in the nose. “Really dude?”

“Yes really!”

“You can have them back in the morning. Fuck dude. I’m going to start a counter for how many times we’ve broken each other's noses.” Liam goes to follow Brett back inside. Theo must decide he’s not willing to face the wrath of everyone in the living room because, once Liam has finished cleaning his own face, the chimera is scowling in the recliner. Liam’s head hits the pillow again and its lights out.

Waking up is just as abrupt. Liam jolts upright at the sound of the coffee pot percolating. His movement startles both Lori and Brett. “It’s early, go back to sleep.” He keeps his voice low for Theo, Corey, and Mason. He keeps his footsteps careful as well. He’s grateful it’s Scott.

“I’m glad you’re okay.” Scott pulls him into a tight hug.

“Me too. It’s not over though is it?” Scott makes a sound that is probably meant to be noncommittal but is telling. “Can I at least go home?”

“Of course Liam. I can drive you now if you want.”

“Yes please. I’ll be back when she leaves for work.” He had no clue if his step dad had an early shift but his mom was likely to still be home. Despite his exhaustion he hadn’t slept late, it was barely six.

“We can just pick up breakfast on the way back.” Liam nods. He wasn’t planning on Scott sticking around when he saw his mom but he’ll take it. Scott has taken him home since the first time when Liam bailed on helping protect Satomi’s pack but he can’t help but think back to that. This time they take the jeep. This time he stuck around.

His mom and stepdad are both home and awake judging by the lights on inside. They probably notice the jeep in the driveway as soon as it pulls in but they haven’t moved from the kitchen by the time he pushes the door open. Scott stays in the jeep and pulls away with a promise to be back in less than an hour.

“Liam, sweetheart, you're okay!” He had missed their nightly call when he was trapped in the hospital. Based on how exhausted they both looked they’d waited up all night for him to call.

“Yea I’m okay.” They didn’t need to know that he’d gotten hurt at all.

“You didn't call and there was gun fire reported at the high school and the hospital.” She shuffles him to be seated at the counter beside his dad.

“It’s over. I can come back home so you won’t have to worry as much.” He resists the urge to wave his mom's hands away from where she’s clutching his face to twist and turn it, looking for injuries.

“Kiddo we will always worry about you. It’s our job as parents.” His stepfather’s hand lands on the same spot Liam had been grazed with a bullet less than twenty-four hours ago.

“You’re never leaving the house again after that.”

“What about school?”

“Liam Eugene Dunbar do not push.”

“Mom I just-” He can’t get frustrated, not now. “I’m home but this isn’t over. Monroe is still out there. She still killed so many people who deserve justice.”

“We heard about Brett and Lori’s family.” His mom starts.

“And kiddo we are so sorry for their loss but you’re all just kids. We never should have let you go the first time.” His dad finishes for her. They’ve been talking about this clearly. The frustration rides up his neck.

“I don’t always have a choice. I’m home now and my friends are safe.” His mom purses her lips, not done arguing.

“Squirt we don’t have time to hash this out right now. We’ll discuss this more tonight okay.” His mom tilts his head forward to press a kiss to his hair. “You’re right though you’re home and your friends are safe. Let Lori and Brett know they're welcome to stay with us by the way. We’d sleep better knowing that you and them are all safe in the house.” His mom goes back to packing her lunch. The kitchen is quiet outside of his parents shuffling around the kitchen. They’re clearly both torn about leaving him but they do.

The sound of the fridge fills the twenty minutes he sits at the counter waiting for Scott to come back. Liam had hoped it would be a relief to come home. That it would help him feel closure. He doesn’t. In the light of a new day all he can think about is the fact that Monroe is out there. She got away. At any point she could come for them again and who knows what she would do without the influence of the anuk-ite’s fear. Gabe may have shot up the McCall house but Monroe isn’t likely to struggle to find somebody else willing to do the same thing. The next time it may be this house.

He’s worked himself up by the time Scott comes back for him. Scott seems to sense his aggravation and leaves it alone. “I’ve gotta be back by three.” Scott nods in response. Scott had spent the hour picking up enough breakfast sandwiches to feed them all. The McCall driveway is fuller than when they left. Liam doesn’t recognize the shiny car that’s now blocking in Theo’s truck.

It belongs to Jackson and Ethan. They’re not bothering to whisper as they talk to Lydia, likely because the living room's occupants are all awake though they aren’t moving. Liam carts over breakfast sandwiches to each of them and climbs into the space between Brett and the arm of the pull out to eat his own. “Where did you wander off to?” Liam peaks over at Lori when she speaks. She’s slowly chewing, staring off into the distance with her eyes unfocused and her head on Brett's shoulder.

“I wanted to see my parents as soon as I could and make sure they knew I was okay. I knew they would have heard about what happened last night and I didn’t want them to worry.” Brett hums in response even though it had been Lori who’d asked.

Within the kitchen his older pack members seem more alert. While within the living room they all seem stuck in place slowly chewing and very out of it, the kitchen was full of life. Derek and Braeden were catching Malia up on how they’d been, Lydia and Ethan were excitedly discussing one of her classes, and Scott was passing out provisions to everyone within the kitchen. The way Siles laughed at Scott passing Jackson a glass of juice instead of coffee makes Liam’s insides twist. How can they be so relaxed?

“Take it easy Li.” Brett’s arm slides around his shoulders and squeezes him.

“How am I supposed to do that when Monroe is still out there?” Liam keeps his voice low. He doesn’t want to disturb his older packmates. “My parents are upset, they don’t want me to leave the house again. They offered to let you two stay with us by the way.” He twists to look at the two of them. “You should come to dinner tonight so they can see you’re both okay too.”

“It’s not like we’re doing anything else.” Lori offers. They go back to slowly working through their breakfast sandwiches. Their lackluster energy finally catches the attention of the others. Stiles flips the light on and stares in at them.

“Who died?” Stiles almost immediately realizes his mistake and winces.

“Gabe.” Theo starts with.

“Jiang and Tierney.” Lori adds on.

“Me for a bit I think.” Brett offers.

“Wow okay I just stepped into a pity party. We’re alive can’t we just enjoy it?” Stiles can’t back himself out of it.

“No, we can’t.”

“Scott what is with the depressed daycare you started?” Jackson is staring at them. Liam isn’t a fan based on Stiles previous reaction to the dude and having met the guy he’s not inclined to change that.

“Oh right, introductions.” Stiles had not been the one spoken too but he was the one answering. “Those two are Corey and Mason.” He pauses to let them wave. “Then we’ve got Lori and Brett.” Lori half heartedly waves. “And then that little ray of sunshine is Liam.”

“What about that guy?” Jackson pointed to Theo.

“I’m pretending he’s not there. It's best for my mental health.”

“Stiles leave Theo alone.” Liam knows that Stiles is coming from a place of protectiveness but Theo isn’t going to hurt them.

“I can’t believe you’re disrespecting your elders.” Liam is not in the mood for Stiles’ energy so he presses himself even closer to Brett and turns to Theo.

“Theo, will you drop us off at my parents?”

“Do I have to come with you?”

“You don’t have to but you’re welcome to.” He won’t force Theo. He already made Theo spend the night at the McCall house.

“I’m all set.” Honestly Liam gets it. Last night he’d wanted to come home, come back to his pack and his family. Now he can’t help but be claustrophobic with all the additional people. Yes they’re pack but he doesn’t know Jackson or Ethan. Derek and Braeden he knows but not well. It would be worse for Theo. Liam almost feels bad for keeping Theo here but he’d wanted his pack close by last night.

They leave abruptly after. Liam knows he should stay and make nice with these people that fought with them but he can’t be bothered. Scott can clearly tell that something is up but is choosing not to push yet. He probably realizes that Liam could lose it at any moment. Right now he’s mostly in a funk but that can so easily slide to rage.

His feelings stick around even after Theo has deposited the three of them at Liam’s and escaped to wherever he had holed up before this had all gone down. It’s not subtle so it's not a surprise to find himself jammed in between Lori and Brett on his parents couch trying not to lose it. That feeling won't go away for weeks.

Chapter Text

It’s nice living with Lori and Brett. Technically Lori is staying in the guest room and Brett has a dorm but most nights Brett comes back in time for dinner and ends up curled up with Liam. It’s not forever though. With Satomi’s estate, which was bizarre to think about, almost ready to release everything to Brett and Lori they were looking for an apartment. For now Liam could selfishly enjoy it. He’s pretty sure his parents are enjoying it too.

“How was today?” His mom had managed to train Lori, and by extension Liam, to chat with her every day in the kitchen after school. She’d bribed them with fresh cookies originally but once she’d trained them the treats had dried up.

“It was fine.” Liam shrugged and gave her his stock response. He promised Mason he would get his homework done quickly and then hop online for a bit. There wasn’t time for chatter.

“What about you Lori? How was rehearsal?” His mom gave up on him.

“It was good Mrs.Geyer. We mostly focused on blocking a scene I’m not in so I worked on the set.”

“Jenna. What were you blocking? I know last year Liam said you did some sword work.” Lori sets her bag down and Liam resigns himself to skipping out on Mason. He’s quick to send out a sorry text.

“This play isn’t quite as exciting. I mean it's still good and it's more exciting than some of the other shows I’ve done. I think Mrs.W got some pushback last year. You’ll probably still like it.” Liam’s mom had been adamant that she was going to see the play this time around.

“Of course no spoilers! How is the set coming along?” Lori had taken a smaller part so she could be more involved with the set construction. She’d done most of the design for it with the help of Mrs.W.

“Really well! I was worried about building this set. It's complicated to get it to work how we need it to.”

“I have faith in you.” With Lori to talk to Liam can fade into the background. He abandons his bag as well and settles for making a snack. He’s in for the long haul.

“Thanks. I’ve really enjoyed the challenge. I know that Mrs.W doesn’t pick shows for specific students but it feels like she had me in mind when she picked it.” Lori will have to overcome the obstacle of talking with peanut butter in her mouth because Liam wants apple slices and peanut butter.

“And how are classes?”

“Good! I feel confident in my math quiz grade.”

“What about you Liam? Didn’t you have a reading check today?” Liam freezes with the peanut butter spoon in his mouth. His mom isn’t even looking at him but it feels like she knows when and what the worst thing to ask would be.

“It went,” His mouth is still full of peanut butter. He tries again. “It went fine. I did the reading.” He hadn’t failed but he wasn’t sure he’d done well. He hopes the offering he sets on the island is a good enough distraction.

“That’s all I get? Fine?” His mom is not distracted but she does take an apple slice from the plate.

“I won’t get my score back til Friday. If it makes you feel better I think I passed.”

“I suppose it will have to squirt.”

“Practice has been going well. I think we might start having actual cross county practices twice a week.” This Liam willingly offers his mom. Coach Finstock had been much more willing to hear his point when he realised that Devenford was the only local team with a fall ball season. Apparently he’d had a bad experience with overnight stays. It had been a hard sell though. Something about getting shot that Liam thought Scott could probably give more details on.

“Can you do that? Just switch sports?” Lori’s apple slice has vanished under the pile of peanut butter she’s managed to get on it.

“Coach Finstock is technically supposed to be running cross country. Apparently he got shot by an arrow two years ago so last year they let his sub just do lacrosse. I guess he was nervous about the whole thing.”

“Public school is a nightmare. I’m glad they didn’t retract my scholarship when Brett graduated.” Lori had a much worse time in public school than Liam had at Devenford which was saying something.

“Speaking of nightmares, will you check over the math problems I did in study hall?” They’ve cleared the plate so Liam rinses it and loads it into the dishwasher.

“Sure.” Lori awkwardly looked at Liam’s mom. She didn’t want to be rude and run off.

“You’re fine, go do your homework. I’ll let you know when dinner's done.” Lori beams at his mom before taking her bag upstairs. Liam follows behind her. They end up in his room as, despite her staying with them, the guest room is very impersonal.

Despite his worrying the math problems are done mostly right so he has a head start on his homework. Not enough to make up for lost time though. In an attempt to make up for his likely mediocre reading check he uses the extra time to try to prepare for the next one.

By the time dinner is done he’s ready for a break. He will not be sad to finish Walden. Lori carries her incomplete homework back to the guest room for later. It's just them tonight. His dad is on shift and Brett has a group project that's keeping him later.

Dinner is quick and quiet with Lori rushing so she can go back to her homework. It leaves Liam downstairs to curl up on the couch with his mom. Jeopardy is playing low in the background when Brett’s headlights turn into the driveway. Despite the fact that Brett spends most nights there he still knocks on the door like he’s a guest. Both of Liam’s parents think it's charming. Liam can’t decide whether it's annoying because he has to get up and answer the door every time or concerning that Brett feels like he has to try so hard.

In case it's the second one Liam lets him knock. He’s on his feet before Brett has knocked though. It feels well practiced to let him in and then trail behind him into the kitchen. “How was your group project?”

“How do you think it went?” Liam takes a moment and slips his eyes shut as Brett fills the kettle for boiling. His mom had invested in one when she’d caught Lori wincing at her microwaving mugs of water. Liam is working on the whole being awful at the nuances of being a werewolf thing including reading chemosignals. He doesn’t try to hide his inhale.

Brett smells like home, warm and earthy. That isn’t what he’s looking for. Not beneath that but instead in addition to it there are a myriad of other things like classmates he may have bumped into. That isn’t what he’s trying to suss out either. No he’s reaching for the subtle ways his scent is different. There’s irritation which makes sense, no one likes a group project. Brett also smells like he’s accomplished something. Not a weird thing honestly. Brett often scents like that, he’s a born competitor and takes pride in doing well. He tends to play it off and acts as if his accomplishments are assumed and he therefore takes no pride in them. That cocky exterior is for show.

“I think it sucked and you’re glad to be done.” Liam offers. His eyes slide open to watch Brett pull mugs from the cabinet and tea from its home on the counter.

“Yep.” Liam glances over at the living room. His mom is seemingly invested in Jeopardy but more likely giving them the semblance of privacy. Whichever it is he’ll take it. The kettle isn’t boiling yet so Liam joins Brett by the stove to get a greeting kiss. He keeps it brief as to not distract Brett from his new routine. It seems to make him feel better so Liam doesn’t want to interrupt it.

Brett delivers one of the mugs to Liam’s mom and then disappears upstairs with his own. He’s going to check in with Lori. Liam finishes the episode with his mom before heading up as well. He passes Brett on the stairs and makes his way to brush his teeth. Brett may be back quickly for bed or his mom might catch Brett in conversation. Today there appears to be no conversation as Brett slides into bed behind Liam fifteen minutes later. It’s easy to fall asleep once he’s got the arm he’s grown accustomed to the weight of slung over his waist.

Liam has also grown accustomed to that arm slipping away early in the morning and having to roll over alone. He isn’t used to being woken by a shake and a “Hey baby.” It's before his alarm.

“What?” He’s too sleepy to sound mad at Brett. “Are you back from your run already?”

“Yea I cut it short.” Brett’s voice is clipped not necessarily like he’s mad at Liam but more like he has a point he wants to get to. An unsubtle sniff tells him Brett is upset. “I ran into Theo on my run.”

“Did something happen? He’s been decent any time I’ve talked to him.” Liam finally cracks his eyes open and gives his full attention over.

“Nothing happened. I was on my run and I saw his truck on the side of the road.”

“So he’s in the area? We knew that.”

“Let me finish.” The irritated flash of red is so quick Liam hopes his brain was playing tricks. Liam decides it’s a good idea to hold off. He sits up in bed. “I heard a heart beat inside but I didn’t see him or smell any blood so I went over to check it out. When I knocked on it his first response was I’ll move it officer.”

“Oh.”

“Theo is living in his truck Liam and we’ve been letting him!”

“We didn’t know.”

“But we should have.” Brett’s getting agitated in a way that Liam’s not sure he knows how to handle. “We held him hostage at Scott’s house and then we just let him go.”

“He wanted to leave and he’s stayed in contact with us this time around.”

“He’s pack. He shouldn’t be roughing it in his truck.” Liam is weighing his responses carefully. He’s not sure Theo is Scott’s pack but he’s certainly not an omega. There is a third not secret option that Brett may not be as aware of.

“I think we have an air mattress? My parents are going to need a second fridge at this rate though.”

“I don’t think he’d go for that.” Liam didn’t either.

“Did you actually try talking to him after you spotted him in his truck?”

“No.”

“Maybe we should start there.”

“Okay. Get dressed.” Liam can’t help but groan.

“Now? Brett, I have school and so do you.” He still starts to get up.

“You have like two hours. The longer we wait the more likely it is that he moves his truck and we have to go searching. We don’t have time for that.” Liam tries not to seem irritated while he gets ready. He doesn’t think Theo should be living in a truck either. This just seems like a revelation that he wishes had happened at a reasonable hour when he could muster up some more empathy.

Time constraints mean that they aren’t going back to where Brett last saw Theo on foot. With the assumption that this will take the full two hours he loads his school stuff into the car. His stint on the run may have been excused but he’s on thin ice. Theo better be ready to talk quickly because Liam is not trying to get in deeper shit with Principal Martin. Brett shouldn’t miss any more days either. His scholarship is, in part, dependent on his academics.

Theo’s truck doesn’t seem to have moved but Theo is in the driver's seat and looking remarkably put together for someone who slept in their vehicle. Liam ends up sliding into the back while Brett climbs into the passenger seat. It does smell pretty strongly like Theo, stronger than it would if he was only using the vehicle for transportation.

The three sit in silence for long enough that Liam’s leg starts to bounce.

“We aren’t just going to drop it?” Theo speaks first.

“We can totally just drop it?” Is Brett’s response.

“Wait really?” Liam cannot believe he got up before his alarm for them to drop it. What the hell.

“No. So spill Theo, why are you sleeping in your truck?”

“We can’t all fuck our way into an all American family with extra bedrooms. Not that you’re using one.” Liam’s claws dig into his palms at Theo’s words.

“Hey!” Brett’s voice is sharp. “Don’t avoid the question.”

“Where else would I go? The house I was living in when I was still with the Dread Doctors wasn’t legally obtained and the labs aren’t meant to be lived in even if I wanted to.”

“We would have helped you figure something out if you’d just told us.” Liam knows he doesn't sound as sympathetic as he should. Theo was being a dick.

“Why though?” Theo gives off nothing for Liam to get a read on.

“You’re pack.” Brett’s answer is simple.

“I’m not moving into the halfway house Liam conned his parents into starting.” Liam will have to keep reminding himself that Theo is lashing out to protect himself.

“You don’t have to even though I’m sure Dr and Mrs.Geyer would let you. There are other options.”

“Like what.”

“Derek’s in real estate.” Liam remembers Scott saying something about that during the dead pool. He gets looks from both Theo and Brett for this. “What?”

“Baby why didn’t you say anything before?” Liam’s claws make a reappearance at Brett’s tone.

“Why would I?” Liam has to wipe the blood that's threatening to drip off his fists on his sweatshirt. He's glad its dark enough to not be obvious. Theo would probably break his nose again if he got blood on the seats of the truck Theo currently calls home.

“Because Lori and I need somewhere to live?” Right. He hadn’t been thinking about that. Brett hadn’t really spoken about finding somewhere since Liam had mentioned his parents offering up space for Brett and Lori to stay. Liam wasn't thinking overly hard about it.

“On that note can the two of you get the hell out of my truck?”

“Will you talk to Derek?” Theo gives an unconvincing shrug. “I’ll talk to him for you because this isn’t going to work.”

“Whatever. Do what you want.” Liam can’t imagine the Theo of a year ago letting them sit in his truck and pester him about making good choices. They shouldn’t push though. Liam is much more aware of just what Theo is capable of even if he wouldn’t go as far now.

Brett moves to get out first but Liam waits to move. Instead he leans forward. “There’s a pack waiting for you when you decide to let yourself out of your self imposed exile.” It feels like too much considering their history but maybe that's what Theo needs. Theo definitely doesn’t need to have his nose broken again and Liam isn’t sure he could come with a reason as to why he would so he doesn’t.

“Get out of my truck.”

Chapter Text

Despite the fact that Lori and Brett moved out a little over a week ago Liam could tell his mom was excited to see them again. After Liam had been forced to leave town she’d been glad to not only have him home but have a full house. It was easier to know Liam was safe if she could also see that the people he cared about were safe as well. That was how it started at least. His mom was invested now though. She’d already marked off each show on the fridge calendar to make sure she didn’t double book herself for the two weekends the show was running.

Liam wasn’t sure he’d make it to all of them but between Brett and his mom he had a feeling he’d be going to more of them then he had in the past. He starts with one though. Opening night had always been Lori’s most packed. Liam hadn’t been to her previous ones but he knew that in past years a fourth of her pack would come on opening night with the rest filtering through the other eight shows.

If Brett had anything to say about it her opening night this year would be the same. He’d started with enlisting Liam’s parents. He’d then been slightly embarrassed when Liam’s parents were planning on going without needing his prompting. He’d managed to get Scott to agree to come as well who’d agreed to bring Ms.McCall. Stiles and Lydia had gone to the east coast for school but Derek and Braeden were still in the area and had been roped in as well. There was also Corey, Mason, and Nolan. Brett’s most impressive attendant had been Theo.

Theo was tentatively living with the siblings. Theo might have been a chimera but from what Liam had heard from both Brett and Lori he acted more like a feral cat. Liam had last seen Theo for about two minutes on move in day. Theo had waited until hours after Liam’s parents had left before he rolled in with a duffle bag and a blanket. The chimera had vanished into the third room and shut the door. Since then Theo had been slipping out when nobody was home and then coming back long after Liam had gone home.

Brett had rolled in ten minutes before the show started with Theo trailing behind him incredibly reluctantly. Theo made his way to the seat closest to the wall, as far from the adults as possible, and slunk as low in the auditorium seat as he could. Liam tries his hardest not to stare at Theo and instead give his attention to Brett and his inability to have personal space. Liam didn’t mind especially with his more tactile packmates farther away.

“Did Lori text you about the opening night drama?” Brett sounds way too excited. Liam is thinking it isn’t just about the drama but also the fact that he managed to get Theo there.

“Of course. I can’t believe Mackenzie B. would do that to Kara on opening night.” That's all Liam has to contribute before Brett is off for the seven remaining minutes before the show.

“It’s so disrespectful! I saw Davis in the parking lot and he smelled like Kara, tears, and anger. I think he was on heartbreak duty and whatever extra information he got that we don’t have didn’t make him feel better about the whole thing.” Brett has tipped his head close to Liam’s ear as if this is all a secret. Liam can see Theo’s head tilted in their direction as if he’s listening in.

“Is there a world in which he wouldn’t be upset? Kara is his cousin and weirdly also his friend. Not a choice I’d make but.” Liam finishes with a shrug. “If Corey and Mason broke up it wouldn’t matter why I’d be mad at Corey on principal.”

“Right!” Brett narrowly avoids hitting Theo as he gestures with the arm he doesn’t have tucked around Liam. Brett is also being way too loud for how close he is to Liam’s ear. “Lori said she’s going to see if she can get some more details without sending Kara into a crisis.”

“Is that what you two are going to be doing tonight? Painting each other's nails and gossiping about teen girls?” Liam wasn’t sure if it was because he knew Theo now or if it was new but every time Theo said something rude it sounded like he was an extra in a shitty teen movie. There was no bite to it, like he felt obligated to be a dick but didn’t have the heart to try.

“I’ve never painted my nails. Maybe I’ll let Lori try it tonight though. It’ll add to the experience.” Brett’s smirk makes Theo scowl harder.

Brett must decide he likes the idea of it because when Liam and his parents arrive for Saturday night’s show the alpha is sporting dark green nails. Liam’s mom leans over him to compliment them.

“Lori did a nice job Brett.” Liam presses himself back into the auditorium seat as his mom holds her hand out for Brett’s. She tilts it before nodding. Liam’s mom has always been low maintenance taking the time every two weeks to repaint them one of maybe four colors. He’s not sure if she’s an expert but that's his mom so he’s going to keep his mouth shut.

“Thank you Mrs.Geyer.” Brett gets a look at that. Liam’s mom doesn’t seem like she’s going to get Brett or Lori to call her Jenna any time soon. “Lori doesn’t paint her nails much now but she and Tierney used to paint each other's nails a lot in middle school so I guess she got pretty good at it.” That isn’t a brag and yet Brett makes it sound like one. Grief and love creep into his senses. Liam’s mom gives Brett’s hand a squeeze. Theo rolls his eyes from the seat beside Brett.

Liam hadn’t expected to see Theo on opening night but he was probably more shocked to see Theo the second night. Whatever Brett and Lori were doing in their apartment to make Theo feel at home had to have been working. That or Theo was really into the arts. Liam didn’t have a clue what Theo liked but Theo probably didn’t either. The Dread Doctors didn’t seem like they fostered curiosity and self discovery.

Having seen the show already Liam knows he spends most of the current run through glancing at Theo trying to puzzle out what was going on with him. It definitely doesn’t go unnoticed by Theo or Brett. None of them want to be rude though so he avoids getting asked. He manages to avoid it until after he’s shoved himself into the back of Theo’s truck along with Brett and Lori’s ridiculously sized bag for theater. She doesn’t even bring her costume home so he’s not sure what is even in the bag. It's once they’re back at the new Talbot-Rohr-Raeken apartment that Brett finally brings it up.

“Did something happen with Theo? You made it seem like you two were cool.”

“He’s not my best friend or anything but the sight of him doesn’t make me want to beat his face in anymore if that's what you’re asking.”

“It wasn’t but you knew that.” Brett willingly dropped the subject but it stuck with Liam long enough that come lunch on Wednesday everyone had caught on and was getting fed up with it.

“What is your problem Liam?” Mason is the one who speaks but Nolan and Corey have been sneaking looks at Liam for the past ten minutes. In fact Liam is pretty sure he saw some texting amongst them that was timed enough to imply they were texting each other. Mason had to think it was bad if he was conspiring with Nolan. “You’ve been deep in thought all week and I know it isn’t about our Walden essay.”

“It could be. I’m trying to keep my grades up this year. My mom got a taste of having an academically successful highschooler and so now I have standards to try and live up to.” Liam’s sidestepping attempt is graceless but he’s trying it out. He doesn’t really know how to put to words the weird way he’s feeling about Theo slotting into their pack. He wanted Theo there but he didn’t like how he was only on the fringes associating with a select few pack members and no one else. It was deja vu in the worst way.

“Is that what this is about? Brett and Lori moving out?”

“Kinda.” Liam slumped forward, shoving his tray away.

“Is it Theo?” Corey's voice is hesitant. Liam lets out a groan in response.

“What did Theo do?” Mason’s voice is sharp. While Mason and Theo had a small moment of growth searching for Aaron it hadn’t been enough that Mason wouldn’t assume the worst.

“He’s been going to all of Lori’s shows.” Nolan’s face twisted in confusion. “He moved in with Brett and Lori and despite the fact that I didn’t see him a single time after move in day he’s apparently close enough that he’s showing up to every show. Speaking of you should all come to at least one.” Liam ends it with a plug.

“What are you jealous or something?” Nolan’s smile and tone imply he’s joking but it's an icy hit.

“No!” It's sharper than he wanted.

“Liam he didn’t mean it like that.” Liam must have sounded more upset than he thought if Corey was stepping in to defend Nolan.

“Sorry.” It’s more automatic than sincere. He doesn’t feel like he’s got the emotional bandwidth for this. His session with June can’t come soon enough if this is how he’s feeling.

“Dude, what is there to be jealous of? Do you think maybe you're over thinking it?” The shrug Liam gives Mason doesn’t really fly with his friend. It doesn’t fly with June either when she says something similar at his session the next day. Mason had let it drop though, they’d had classes they weren’t going to skip, June still has him for another thirty-eight minutes.

“So you’re not sure what could be causing feelings of jealousy or you’re not sure if you’re attributing other feelings to this experience?” Liam takes a moment to think on June’s question. He picks at the loose threads on his knees. The jeans hadn’t had holes in them originally but he’d been fooling around out back with the lacrosse set up his stepdad had in their back yard way after his stepdad had turned in because of how dark it was. Liam technically could see in the dark but that didn’t help much when he wasn’t paying attention to his feet.

“The second one. I’m sure though. There isn’t anything for me to be jealous of. Theo is my-” Liam pauses. There isn’t anyone to hear this other than June though. “Theo is my friend. It’ll be good for him to have a home.”

“If it isn’t jealousy then what do you think it really is?” June’s cardigan is dark green this session. Liam doesn’t want to meet her eyes but he’s managing to look at her shoulder instead. Its progress. He resists the urge to shrug again. June is nice enough to turn her attention back to her computer while he thinks.

“I don’t know.” Liam finally admits. “Everything is great! I’m co-captain of the lacrosse team, my grades are good, and my friends aren’t worried about the town forming another mob.” Once again Liam really wishes he didn’t have to modify his life for sessions. He’s done okay at sticking with it since Scott and the super moon but as everything is becoming more connected to things he can’t share he’s close to dropping down on sessions.

“We can circle back around to your anxiety about what happened with your guidance counselor if you’re ready to talk about that?”

“Definitely not.” He’d briefly explained that he and his friends had been super freaked out by the whole mob thing as his reason why he’d missed some sessions and that had been the end of it. Just about everything with Monroe wasn’t editable to be shared.

“That’s fine. We can focus on your fear of being left behind instead.” Liam doesn’t manage to avoid her gaze as she turns to him. June’s gaze follows him as he sinks low in his chair.

Liam does not manage to suddenly develop the ability to slide through the floor. Instead he has to return to a topic he’d hoped to have finished. They’d spent quite a bit of time that summer talking about how he was feeling about his friends, his pack, moving away for graduation. June had gently, then less gently when he’d tried to act ignorant, suggested he’d had a longer running anxiety about being left behind.

He hadn’t loved staring at her fittingly dark cardigan covered shoulder as she took him back to being abandoned by lots of people he didn’t even think of. She’d brought him farther back then he’d wanted to go. After he’d exhausted himself with the net in the backyard. They hadn’t touched on it again since.

“I’m not being left behind though and I know that.” His conviction doesn’t sway June. “Theo, Brett, and Lori and setting down roots or whatever. That's like the opposite of them leaving me behind.”

“Physically yes you know they aren’t going anywhere but do you feel as confident in your understanding that you aren’t being left behind in another way?” Liam lets a silence stretch out behind her question.

“No.” Talking about how people feel about him makes him feel small. “Everything is really good now though! I should be able to get over it.”

“Maybe but you can’t help your gut reaction. Let's see if we can help get you on the page you think you should be on.” Cognitive Behavioral Therapy had worked for Liam in the past. He’d left sessions after he’d been diagnosed tired or upset but feeling like maybe he could turn it around. It would have been nice to have left his session feeling like that this time. However, sessions like that had become scarcer.

Liam certainly is tired after the session. It's not exactly how he wants to feel going into Friday. Everyone seems well aware of the fact and gives him space at least. Well everyone until he ends up at Devenford for Lori’s second weekend of shows. His stepdad’s shift had meant that they didn’t arrive before Brett and Theo. Somehow, with the way the two had saved seats, Liam ends up in between the two boys. Brett isn’t slick and Liam can only hope to express his thoughts through his eyes. He’s letting himself live the lie of his mom thinking everything is normal so lashing out verbally isn’t an option.

Brett definitely catches on if the quickly vanishing scent of guilt is anything to go by. The alpha knew Liam wouldn’t like being pushed and did it anyway. Theo is possibly also experiencing an ambush as he seems very stiff sitting beside Liam. Theo’s shoulders hike up even higher which clues Liam into the fact that whatever is going on isn’t just going to be forced proximity. It seems like it would be beneficial to fully explain to Brett that he’s misread the situation. Despite the fact that Liam doesn’t love that something is being plotted by the alpha he still sinks into Brett’s side as he watches Lori perform the same lines for the fifth time.

Lori is in on it too as she descends upon their group and Liam once again finds himself in the back of Theo’s truck listening to Lori absolutely destroy the vehicles sound system. Despite her dedication to the one woman concert she’s performing they meet eyes more than once. The volume doesn’t mean she can’t hear when Liam finally speaks up.

“Whose the mastermind to whatever you two are planning?”

“Mastermind implies that this is thought out and not fueled by desperation.” Lori doesn’t even bother to turn the music down which Liam struggles to not find irritating.

“I wanted nothing to do with this.” Theo does turn the music down as he jumps in. “If you want to hate me or whatever it is you’re feeling I don’t care.”

“I don’t hate you. I’m not sure I understand your sudden switch up but I’m glad you’re accepting that you’re pack.” Liam can see Theo scowl in the mirror.

“I spent all week freaked for nothing?” Brett is pouting which would be cuter if he hadn’t been scheming.

“You could have just asked.” As soon as it leaves his mouth he knows it’s a lie. Brett had tried to ask. Liam deserves the glare he gets in response. “Okay fine maybe you couldn’t ask outright but you could have at least tried to get me to talk before trying out forced proximity. What did you even have planned for after this?”

“A sleepover essentially with nail painting and emotional vulnerability. Oh and watching something appropriately dramatic.” Lori’s excitement leaves no room for opting out, not that Liam was going to try to. He knows better

“I call dibs on black.” Theo might have seemed surprised at how quickly he answered but that might have been Liam projecting his own surprise on the chimera.

“There’s no need to call dibs Theo. I've got plenty to go around. That is a super basic choice though just so you know.” Theo must know better too because he doesn’t let Lori’s attitude get to him.

Lori ran the sleepover like a boot camp despite the fact that Liam and Theo had already declared everything as fine. Any time Liam drifted too close to Brett in the hopes of getting a kiss or even asking him how his day was she intervened. It was hard to be upset about it when they had all managed to jam themselves on the couch while Lori tried to get them excited to watch Degrassi.

“Lori what even is this?” Liam couldn’t be bothered to care like Brett seemed to. They’d managed to circumvent Lori’s imposed distance by sticking Theo in between them. Brett’s arm was long enough to stretch across the back of the couch and play with the hair on the nape of Liam’s neck. Liam was starting to hope Theo would get annoyed with them and move.

“Brett, don't act like you’re too cool to know what this is. There isn’t a single person here who is still under the impression you’re cool.” Brett’s responding eye flash and growl is all for show. “We’re watching it and that’s final.”

“Shouldn’t we put it to a vote?”

“Do you even have an alternative?”

“I could come up with one.” The hand playing with Liam’s hair drops away as Brett gets more invested in the argument.

“We don’t have all night to decide. Tomorrow is senior night.” Liam settles against the arm of the couch. He doesn’t participate when they get like this.

“It wouldn’t even take that long!”

“Liam is going to fall asleep so his vote doesn’t matter. Can I tiebreak already?” Theo’s voice surprises Liam. He’d assumed Theo was going to settle in for the long haul too.

“We aren’t voting!” Lori huffs out.

“Put on Degrassi Lori.”

“Thank you for your contribution Theo.” Lori’s smug face at winning lasts the rest of the night. Brett’s betrayed frown vanishes at some point around the second episode when Theo gets up and lets Brett slide over to press against Liam’s shoulder.

Chapter Text

It would be a lie to say that Liam fully knew how Brett, Lori, and Theo had ended up how they had. Obviously Brett and Lori couldn’t keep living at the commune, that was why they’d stayed with his parents. Theo also did need somewhere to stay as his truck wasn’t a long term solution. Still one minute he and Brett were fighting with Theo just trying to get him to stick around for one night and the next Theo was roommates with the siblings.

Brett and Theo living together was turning into his worst nightmare. It felt insane that only a few weeks ago Liam couldn’t catch sight of Theo at the apartment. Individually they both had the potential to be assholes. Theo was self explanatory. He’d lived as a tool for the Dread Doctors for years of course he was a manipulative dick. As for Brett? Liam loved Brett and Brett loved him back but he’d been on the other side of Brett’s occasional less stellar attributes. Together they gave off a kind of energy Liam didn’t know how to describe. It was great that Brett and Theo were becoming friends. They both needed it. He still pitied Lori having to live with them full time.

She was clearly unhappy as she and Liam partook in their usual Wednesday homework routine. The chaos happening outside of her room was distracting. Theo missed out on many of the normal teenage things either entirely or had only experienced them for evil purposes. Brett had stuck a bucket list on the fridge of the things he’d deemed important for the chimera to experience. There were additions in other hand writing and different pens as it had been extended. Lori had started a different list of shows and movies that he needed to watch as the original list was getting unmanageable.

It seemed as if they were crossing something off the list as Lori hadn’t stormed out to try and commit fratricide. Her patience was clearly being tested. “Lori, could you help me with this problem. I’m lost.”

“I can try but I can’t hear myself think over the,” Her voice kicked up to emphasize her point to the boys outside of her room, “Disasters in the other room.”

“Sorry.” The faint sorry Liam hears from the other room is not sincere in any way.

“UGH!” Liam would be worried about the way she threw herself if she wasn’t a werewolf. Honestly he still was despite that. “That’s it we’re going to your house.” Liam packs up his stuff quickly. He’s starting to get the sense that maybe something else is up.

“I’ll meet you in the car, I just have to go to the bathroom.” She doesn’t bother to call him on the lie, just rolls her eyes in response.

“What’s wrong with Lori?” Brett’s head is sticking out through the kitchen. Liam chooses peace and doesn’t look in to see whatever they’re up to. He has bigger things to worry about.

“I kind of hoped you would know.”

“No clue.” Even though Brett is shrugging it off it’s clear he’s worried about Lori.

“I’ll see if I can find out.” He presses what he means to be a quick kiss goodbye to Brett’s mouth. Inevitably he ends up clutching at the taller boy's shoulders letting Brett’s tongue reacquaint itself with the inside of his teeth.

“Lori texted me to tell you to hurry up or she’s leaving you here.” Theo has something in his hair. Liam is going to continue not asking questions.

“Right. Bye.” He settles for a cheek kiss in parting this time not wanting to risk having to run home. Lori chooses to show her displeasure by glaring. The drive is accompanied by the low sounds of David Bowie amongst other voices from the radio.

His mom is the only one home when they pull in.

“Liam? What are you doing home?” His mom looks up from whatever she's looking at while she’s laying on the couch.

“We just need somewhere quiet to finish our homework. We’ll head back to the apartment for dinner.” Lori waves from beside him.

“Of course. Lori, you know my home is always open to you.”

“Thanks.” Lori’s voice is soft. Upstairs she makes herself at home on the bed and spreads her homework out. Liam opts to ignore his desk and set up on the floor. He plans on giving her time before ambushing her but quickly gives up. She’s not getting any work done so neither is he.

“Ok what is up with you?” Liam had had enough of her stressing herself out.

“Nothing!” She likely wasn't even trying to lie. He leveled a look at her and she crumbled immediately. “Ok so I finally started hearing back from colleges.”

“That’s great isn’t it? Was it bad news?” He couldn’t believe she wouldn’t have gotten into every place she’d applied. Perhaps it was because she was his friend but he could be realistic. She may not have had the athleticism that Brett did but she had academics that were on the same level and a varied array of extracurriculars that made up for that.

“Not technically.” She abandoned her homework so she could slide off the bed and sit next to him on the floor criss-cross applesauce style. “I know where I want to go but I don’t think I can.” Lori was keeping her hands busy playing with the charm on her choker. It was obvious that something was up. It couldn’t have been money or something like that. She wouldn’t have been so cagey if it were something normal.

“Where do you want to go?” He reaches out a hand to set on her knee making his voice as understanding as he can. He can have his moment about her leaving for college closer to when she actually graduates.

“Syracuse.” Liam’s not even sure he knows where that is but that's enough to tell him it isn’t close. “I shouldn’t though. Monroe is still out there and even if she wasn’t I can’t leave Brett. UC Berkeley has a really great architecture program and it's nearby so it's not like I’m giving up on my dreams.”

“I’m sure Brett would want you to go to school where you want.”

“That’s the worst part! If I tell him he’s going to be super understanding and supportive.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” He’s lost.

“No! I should stay nearby and I need someone to tell me to stay put otherwise-”

“Lor thats really fucked up. You can’t ask Brett to do that to you.”

“I know.” She lets out a soft sob. It throws him off the number of times he’s seen her cry in the past year.

“Why Syracuse? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of there.”

“It’s where my dad went. I have this memory of him when I was like seven, and we were building a bookshelf for Brett to go in mom’s study for his birthday. It’s like stupidly clear for something so small. Anyways he was wearing this sweatshirt with this horrific orange thing on it. It was one of his old college sweatshirts that he didn’t care about.”

“Other than it not being close, what's the problem?”

“Liam it's not just not close, it's on the east coast. It would take multiple days to drive back if something went wrong and sure flying would be faster but it still wouldn’t be quick. What if something goes wrong and you guys need me but I’m stuck in the air thousands of feet in the air?”

“Then we’d manage. If you want to go there then go. Brett’s going to tell you the same thing.”

“He wouldn’t have any pack here if I left. Who would watch him?”

“You’re just coming up with excuses Lori. You know he wouldn’t be alone. You just need to talk to him. Let's finish up our homework. When we get back you can pull him to talk so it doesn’t keep eating at you.”

“Okay.” Lori wipes at her eyes and gives him a small smile. She drags her book off the bed and stays on the floor to finish up.

The apartment is still standing when they return so whatever the hell Brett and Theo had gotten up to couldn’t have been that bad. Lori drags Brett to talk as soon as they’re back leaving Liam alone with Theo.

“Did she finally decide to tell Brett she wants to go out of state?” Theo is rooting through the fridge as he asks pulling things out for dinner. He and Liam aren’t the best at cooking but between the two of them they can manage.

“How did you know?”

“I was a spy way before I came back to Beacon.”

“Sure but you’re supposed to be reformed.”

“I get the mail. I can’t help that I saw all her acceptance envelopes.”

“I’ll accept that.” They turn their attention back to dinner. The siblings still aren’t done by the time they’ve finished cooking. By the time they do wrap up their conversation Liam is getting ready to head home. Despite having an understanding of what Liam is involved in he’s still got a curfew. The door to Lori’s bedroom swings open almost as if Brett senses he’s going to leave without saying goodbye.

“I’ll walk you to your car.” Brett holds the door open and gestures for Liam to get moving. When Liam exits he takes in Brett’s scent. Upset, proud, salt. It seems like it could have gone worse.

“Lori told you?” He shuts his bag in the back of his car, it having been one of the rare times he drove himself anywhere.

“I don’t know why she was worried. Honestly it’ll be safer for her if she gets as far from here as possible.” Brett is definitely trying to put on a brave face.

“You can be proud of her and also be sad she’ll be far away.” Liam leans back against his vehicle. He’s not going to leave if Brett wants to talk about this.

“I’m aware.” Or not. Liam shrugged in response. Brett let out a sigh and seemed to decide he wasn’t going to act like a tool to protect his own feelings. Good. “I know it’ll be fine but we’ve never been far apart. We went to the same summer camps as kids and I only applied to schools within commuting distance. I didn’t even make it a full semester in the dorms.” Liam chose not to point out that the dorm thing had more to do with Brett being legally responsible for Lori even if it was only for the few months till she turned eighteen.

“You could probably fly out to see her every weekend and just do your homework on the plane.”

“She’d both love and hate that. She’s going because she wants to be closer with dad but she also probably wants to be her own person. She’s spent years being worried about me even though I never asked her to.”

“You didn’t have to. She didn’t ask you to worry about her either but you’ve put yourself between her and death more than once.” Brett crowds him back against the car. “She’s already her own person, she's just getting to enjoy new experiences. I mean do you want to stay in Beacon County for the rest of your life?”

“I’ve never thought about it.” Brett’s mouth is gentle when it brushes his.

“That's ok.” Their next kiss lasts longer but stays gentle. Liam has to go home eventually. He lets himself enjoy the slow slide of lips and the warm press of Brett’s body. Another car entering the apartment's parking lot signals he should go home.

Chapter Text

Liam felt like a bad pack mate with how uncomfortable he acted around Nolan. He knew he wasn’t subtle with his discomfort but he was trying. He stuck with being co-captains, he always invited Nolan to pack outings, and he’d partner with him in classes when it made sense. There was just something that threw him off. Liam could forgive. He’d become weirdly close friends with Theo despite everything he’d done both personally to Liam and in general. Hell he was dating Brett in spite of his tendency to occasionally be a massive dick. It shouldn’t have been different with Nolan.

It was though and it was going to cause issues. He was ignoring it for now, continuing to try to keep it normal. It was how he’d ended up in a car with Lori, Theo, and Nolan on his way to one of Brett’s home games. Corey and Mason had taken a separate vehicle. No one had brought up the uneven distribution. He didn’t want to subject Corey to Nolan or Theo as he was still uncomfortable with both of them, Lori wasn’t close with either of them, and Lori would have killed him if he’d ridden with Corey and Mason leaving her with just Theo and Nolan.

After they’d dealt with the Akun-ite, Brett had returned to school having managed to miss only preseason and a week or so of classes. He’d had the forged medical papers for his coma and been able to dive right in. He’d completed the first semester with no additional new crisis. Monroe had gone underground, focusing on plotting probably. With his second semester underway Brett’s actual lacrosse season had started.

Despite the terrible car ride Liam was excited. It wasn’t as if he’d ever just gotten to just watch Brett play. How could he have when he was trying to focus on how he played? They’d managed to lay claim to the top corner of one of the sets of bleachers so the six of them could spread out. Lori hadn’t made a sign mainly because Brett had traded her a week of dish duty to wait and do it later in the season. She’d taken the deal mostly because she’d managed to scrounge up enough old shirts with TALBOT emblazoned on the back that she could outfit herself, Liam, and under extreme duress Theo in support as an alternative. This had ultimately been a waste as it was February meaning they’d wrapped up in more than t-shirts. Liam had dutifully worn it under his sweatshirt and flannel.

It wasn’t overly busy so Liam could pretty clearly hear what was happening on the field with no effort. He’d been ignoring it up until one of Brett’s team mates had approached and conversation had arisen focusing on the group. He couldn’t help but be nosey.

“Are they here yet? I gotta admit I’m curious about your girl Talbot.”

“Okay first of all,” Liam watched Brett toss his arm over the other dude's shoulder like he often had when he was captain at Devenford giving advice to make a play better. The fact that he, as a freshman, was able to interact with his current teammates like he had with a team he’d run for years was baffling. Brett should have been lower on the totem pole but instead he was popular amongst his teammates. “It's weird to call someone's girlfriend their girl.” The dude laughs in response. Brett hadn’t even said anything funny. “Second, what are you talking about dude?” Liam was also curious about the comedy of errors he was about to witness.

“That’s your group over there right?”The guy gestured over towards them. This caught Nolan and Mason’s attention as the only two who couldn’t hear what was being said. Lori gives an enthusiastic wave. Brett’s wave back is surprisingly not mocking or halfhearted in any way though it wasn’t quite as enthusiastic. “Is that her the blond who was waving?”

“Nope, that's Lori. Liam is next to her at the end.” Liam doesn’t wave both because he’s technically not supposed to be hearing the conversation and because he thinks the guy has managed to figure out that there is no girl.

“Dude why didn’t you say? You know we would have been cool.”

“I did? I didn’t think I was being subtle.”

“Li is a girl's name.”

“It's short for Liam.”

“Liam,” Theo drags his attention from the conversation out on the field. “How does it feel to know you’re the girl in your relationship? I mean it makes sense with the hair but-” Lori kicks Theo in the back leading to him stopping and whipping around to snarl at her.

“Stop being a sexist dick for no reason. No one is impressed.” Liam knows he’s smiling as he returns his attention to the field.

“I mean I knew.” Their goalie pipes in. Brett extends his other arm and drags them in.

“See Danny pays attention. In fact I think Danny played with him.” Liam manages to make eye contact with Danny as they both try to figure out if they recognize each other. Awkward. He does look familiar though.

“He looks familiar, could be from lacrosse, could be from a club.” Brett lets out a laugh.

“Probably not a club. Not his scene. He went to Beacon Hills though transferred as a freshman, you would have been a senior.” Danny nodded.

“So was it a forbidden romance thing?” Brett’s teammate seems to have gotten back with the program.

“I love that you’re a romantic at heart Martinez but we should probably warmup.” With Brett having ended any conversation that Liam may have found interesting to listen in on he let Nolan strike up a conversation about plays. Despite the fact that it's probably only six minutes of conversation it drags. He even catches Brett sending him a sympathetic glance. He does try to fix his face with that. Nolan can’t read his chemosignals so if he smells like he’d rather not be having the conversation it's fine. If he looks like he’s miserable that's an issue.

It’s a relief when the game actually starts. Its a good game by his standards. Maybe Beacon Hills is worse than Liam thought and it wasn’t as if he thought they were that great. Brett plays what seems like an obscene amount, way more than Liam had expected. It makes sense though as Brett manages to score half of the points that his team makes and look good while doing it.

“Gross Liam. You’re such a jock.” Lori slides further away as if that will do anything.

“You legitimately thought Kira shit talking your Japanese and then trying to beat you with a lacrosse stick was hot. I don’t want to hear it.”

“I told you that in confidence!” Nolan looks over to Theo contemplating whether he wants to brave getting closer just to get further away from Lori. Since Brett is incapable of resisting the urge to start shit, especially if it gets a rise out of Lori, when halftime hits he takes the time to wink at Liam. Its successful in getting Lori even more riled up when it makes Liam's cheeks pink the slightest bit. He can’t help it if he’s easy when it comes to Brett.

The second half of the game does see Brett getting less field time but still more than one would expect. They don’t just pull out a win but absolutely annihilate the away team. The bleachers clear out quickly once the game has ended but the six of them aren’t in a rush. They slowly ambled down to outside the locker rooms to meet up with Brett post game. Brett is already out by the time they’ve reached him chatting with Martinez and Danny. Lori is first to congratulate them and greet everyone. Liam and the rest let Brett make introductions.

“Martinez, Danny, this is Theo, Nolan, Corey, Mason, and Liam.”

“Theo Raeken?” Danny is definitely the Danny he played lacrosse with in his freshman year. Small world.

“Danny Mahealani? What’s it been nine years?” Theo sounds casual but Liam gets what is a microscopic scent of pleasure at being recognized. As it’s Theo it comes from, Liam imagines this is one of the greatest things to ever happen to Theo. While everyone is weirdly enthralled by the fact that Danny knows Theo, Liam steals into Brett’s space and tilts his head up to ask for a kiss. He just wants a quick one because he also finds it fascinating that Theo got recognized. Stiles and Scott certainly hadn’t recognized the chimera and it had taken way too long for Stiles to even fully believe that Theo wasn’t an imposter. “I’m glad to see you’re doing well dude.” The group dips into an awkward silence.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come to the after party Talbot? You can bring your kiddie crew.” Martinez is apparently not one for silence.

“You probably shouldn’t call them that is sounds fucking weird dude.” Martinez nods at Brett’s words. He must have heard it too. “Maybe next time though.”

“Sure I want details since you sprung this on me.”

“Martinez I can’t help it if you weren’t being a good listener.”

“Is that any way to speak to your favorite teammate?”

“I think you must have misheard me. I said Martinez not Mahealani. Danny is a great listener.” Brett loves getting the last word in and seems content to do just that and head out. “I’ll see you two Monday okay. Be safe out there and drink responsibly.” Liam takes and shoulders Brett’s lacrosse bag. “Such a gentleman.” Brett teases. Liam links their fingers together once Brett has finished his goodbye hugs and fist bumps.

“Great game Brett!” Nolan manages to be the first to actually talk about lacrosse. His cheeks might be pink from the cold. Liam is going to choose to believe that for pack stability purposes.

“Thanks Nolan. I got way more play time than I expected.” Nolan’s cheeks flush darker and Brett squeezes Liam’s hand. It's a poorly kept secret that Nolan is nursing a baby crush on Brett. Absolutely none of them have said anything about it because he isn’t doing anything wrong. Brett can’t help that he’s hot and often manages to be incredibly charming. It just happens to be another thing about Nolan that pisses Liam off.

“It's not that surprising Brett. They scouted you for a reason.” Liam squeezes Brett’s hand back. His fingers switch to beating out the steady rhythm of Brett’s heart on the back of their linked hands. As they get closer to the car Lori decides to bless him or maybe Brett.

“I’ll ride back with Theo and Nolan if you want to drive back with Brett.”

“You’re the best!” He drops Brett’s hand to dart over and hug her. She squeezes him back, not one to turn down affection.

“I know.” He’s dragging Brett off towards the direction he’d seen his car in when they were parking. Liam doesn’t bother with waving goodbye but Brett tries to.

Liam sets the lacrosse bag on the trunk of Brett’s car and presses the other boy up against the car's side. His hands rest low on Brett’s hips and Brett slumps down to kiss him. Liam is quick to nip at his lips and open the taller boy's mouth. He’s almost entirely supporting Brett’s weight where he’s pinning him to the car with his body, pressed in the space the alpha’s made between his legs. If Brett’s legs weren’t so long Liam would probably have him off the ground at this point. It’s for the best though as they were still in the parking lot. As badly as he wants to let Brett wrap his legs around Liam’s waist and grind on him against the car they shouldn’t.

“What’s gotten into you?” The smirk Brett’s pulled away wearing says he knows. Two can play at that game though. Liam could still get flustered easily but he’d been getting better.

“You scored half the points your team got. As MVP don’t you think you deserve a reward?” Liam lets his hand slide back and his finger tips rest slightly below Brett’s waistband. Liam is easy when it comes to Brett sure, but Brett is just as easy when it comes to Liam. Liam feels his own smile widen as Brett’s cheeks darken. “You work so hard. Let me help you out.” His other hand slides down so he can grip the back of Brett’s thigh and hoist him up so Liam is fully supporting his weight. The beta bites lightly at his adam’s apple.

“Fuck me.” Brett’s eyes are blown wide. Liam’s not sure if he’s making a request or if it’s his reaction to being manhandled.

“If you want.” Liam’s voice doesn’t have the same syrupy sweetness that it had a moment before. He isn’t playing, not entirely.

“Yes.” Brett turns his head to look mournfully at the car and opening up his neck for a slow kiss. “I’m too tall to get railed in the back of this thing though so rain check?” Liam’s shocked laugh shakes his body. Brett’s feet touch back down on the ground and he presses another kiss to Liam’s mouth.

“We should probably head back now so we don’t show up after everyone else.” Why had they decided to do a pack sleepover? Where Scott’s pack ended and Brett’s began was fuzzy. They were more like a venn diagram at the moment. Liam lets Brett move away from the car to put his lacrosse bag in the trunk then pulls open the drivers side door so Brett can slide in.

The drive back to the apartment is nicer than the drive to the game. Brett is mostly taking general classes since he’s undeclared but he is taking an ancient art history course which Liam finds fascinating enough for the both of them. Brett had only taken it because he had taken art history at Devenford and thought it would make it easier.

In the parking lot of Brett’s apartment complex Liam finds himself joining Brett in the driver's seat. He has to be careful not to bump the steering wheel or the roof. That gets annoying enough that he pulls away from Brett’s mouth to fumble below the seat and send it backwards. Brett takes it a step further and snaps the seat back so it's reclined fully. They then set about marking each other up and getting to know the insides of each other's mouths again. Liam is just starting to contemplate the merits of seeing if they could make the backseat work when he and Brett receive simultaneous texts.

While Brett fishes Liam’s phone out of his pocket he tucks his face into Brett’s neck. It’s meant to be harmless but it quickly devolves into him tugging on Brett’s earlobe with his teeth and rocking down onto the older boy’s hard on. Brett drops Liam’s phone in favor of grabbing at his ass. It vibrates again from wherever it had fallen on the floor.

“If we don’t go inside soon they’re going to come out here.” Brett doesn’t sound particularly convincing but that might have to do with the moan he lets out half way through. Liam still pulls away though.

“This fucking sucks.” Instead of trying to clamber back into the passenger seat he shoves the driver's side door open. He still feels like a baby deer trying to stand for the first time as he gets out. The beta has Brett’s bag out of the trunk before the other boy has even moved to fix his seat. “We should go in.” Liam lets the bag drop to the ground so he can fish for his phone. Brett’s in the way but he’d like to know what was so important.

“I think it slid under the seat.” Brett finally gets moving. Liam scoots out of the way to allow Brett to emerge and stretch. The beta’s gaze is only momentarily caught on the strip of skin that gets exposed. His phone vibrates once more and he catches the screen lighting up below the seat like Brett had said.

Brett’s hand brushes his shoulder as he leans back still kneeling in the parking lot. Looking up Brett is leaning over him, arm braced on the roof of the car. “You look good down there.” Liam’s face heats up. “You can dish it but you can’t take it baby?”

“I can but we have to go inside.” He’s whining but he’s justified.

“Not for another like,” Brett glanced down at the time. “Five minutes if you want Mason to win the bet. Corey texted us.” Sure enough that’s the message that was awaiting him on his phone.

“You’re setting the bar low then if you think anything can happen during that.” Brett’s hand hooks under his arm to haul him to his feet.

“Alright enough out of you.”

“What you can dish it but you can’t take it?” Liam echoes Brett’s words back to him then darts away when Brett grabs for him. Liam doesn’t go far. It isn’t a good time or area for him to start up a chase. The other residents in the apartment building think Liam is a nice if slightly awkward dude. He doesn’t want to ruin that. Brett goes for him again. Liam dives back towards the car out of Brett’s reach again. He’s backing himself into a corner but that's fine.

Spinning to look at Brett he lets himself be slowly backed towards the car. The forgotten lacrosse bag trips him up. Brett is grabbing at him before he can hit the ground. Liam doesn’t get set on his feet though. Instead Brett slings Liam over his shoulder and scoops down to grab his bag.

The world goes rightside up once they get to the door. They manage to stumble through the door within Mason’s expected ten minute span. No one bothers to hide the money exchange.

“This is why we’re best friends.” Mason points his newly earned wad of cash at Liam.

“You all suck.” Brett’s declaration has less to do with the betting and more to do with the lack of space left in the living room. The carpet they have in the living room isn’t bad but if they’re going to keep doing group hangouts in the Talot-Rohr-Raeken apartment they’re going to need more seating. Liam ends up stealing the bean bag from Lori’s room to create more seating. He gets to enjoy it for all of two minutes while Brett puts his lacrosse stuff away before being shoved over to make room. Brett does not toss himself on top of Liam because they’re still finding the little styrofoam bits around the apartment from the last time.

“So what torture do you have qued up for Theo tonight?” Liam isn’t afraid to ask Lori but he is exercising caution. She and Theo were still trying to get caught up with Degrades so they could watch it live and the last movie night they watched Jennifer’s Body. Theo was seemingly been into most of the things Lori picks out though so maybe she knew something the rest of them didn’t.

“Since we just saw a lacrosse game I thought we could continue with the sports theme.” Lori’s voice is overly innocent which is a red flag.

“Lori it isn’t a sports movie just because there is a single sports scene. I’m going to start skipping your turn.” Brett groans.

“No you won’t.” She’s right Brett is all bark. Liam resigns himself to zoning out and possibly falling asleep early. He doesn't even make it to the promised sports scene before he's pressing his face into Betts shoulder and drifting off.

Chapter Text

While the pack still met at Scott’s when he made his frequent trips back from campus, those of them that were still in Beacon Hills full time couldn't exactly hangout at the McCall house when Scott was on campus. Instead, due to the fact that half of them already lived there, the Talbot-Rohr-Raeken apartment had become the primary hangout. Between that and his parents still tight leash Liam has had all of a handful of minutes alone with Brett in the past few weeks. That’s the reason why, once they’re finally alone, it takes maybe ten minutes for him to end up clawing at the counter with Brett’s mouth on his neck. It’s absolutely ill advised.

It was supposed to be date night. Liam could probably count the number of official dates they’d managed to go on in their year-long relationship on one hand. Lori was staying with a friend to finish the set design they’d been working on for a class and Theo was at some meeting meaning the apartment was empty for once. Liam hadn’t shown up with the intention of fucking around honestly but then again he'd shown up assuming the apartment would contain at least one other person. With just them Liam isn't surprised that he's got Brett’s hand working him over next to the microwave. They at least opened it to stop it from beeping about the bag of popcorn being done. They hadn’t even actually started the movie, just picked one out. A particularly aggressive grind forward from Brett makes Liam buck forward into the hand.

“Fuck. I- more?” He’s breathless as he makes his request. He gets no verbal response as Brett is preoccupied marking up the back and sides of the shorter boy's neck. It’s an improvement over the hold he’d had on the back of Liam’s neck at one point. His hand does speed up though. “Mmhmm please don’t stop.” Liam will probably be embarrassed about how vocal he’s being after. He’ll also be embarrassed about the fact that it happened in the kitchen that Brett shares with multiple other people and is frequented by the whole pack. That's a concern for the future though for now Liam just wants to enjoy their limited alone time.

Of course the universe hadn't intended to let them spend time together. Theo's voice wasn't likely as loud as it felt but in Liam's state it was like a scream. “Don’t you have a bedroom?” Brett’s not entirely human teeth sunk into the back of Liam’s neck at Theo's words. The growl that Brett let out as he did was all wolf and it made Liam’s body erupt into goosebumps. He wasn't sure he'd ever heard a noise like that. The alpha’s hands had moved to be braced on Liam's hips, holding him still and keeping him close with claws that had punctured the denim.

It’s unclear as to why the hell Theo is hovering in the space between the kitchen and living room. It’s also not a good sign that they didn’t notice him until he let them know he was there. Liam feels like he can’t worry about all that yet, not until he figures out how to get Brett to calm down.

“Weren’t you supposed to be at the Sheriff's station?” Liam’s voice is calm as are, hopefully, his chemosignals. Theo is a nuisance not a threat that Brett needs to take care of.

“Argent got another lead so we had to reschedule.” Theo’s always had a good grasp on his chemosignals so it’s unclear if he’s trying to do the same thing Liam is or not. Without the handjob to distract him, being bent over the counter is becoming uncomfortable. Trying to stand fully upright earns him a tighter grip on his hips. Drops of blood had begun to bleed where Brett’s claws had pierced not only denim but skin.

“Brett, you're hurting me.” While his intention is to keep his voice measured he can’t stop it from sounding a bit snappy. Either the tone or the sharp scent of fresh blood snaps Brett out of it. He hadn’t meant for Brett to yank himself away like he does.

“Fuck sorry Li. I don’t know what came over me.” Brett is pressed against the other counter, which feels like a mile away, and has completely dropped his shift. Theo is staring at them like he’s come to a new understanding.

“How much training would you say you actually got to eventually be an alpha?” Theo’s question is clearly aimed at Brett and draws his attention away from Liam while smelling and looking horrified. While his gaze has turned to Theo Brett's scent is still sharp. Liam takes a moment to rezip his pants and then gets closer to Brett. With the other boy no longer in a daze Liam knows he doesn't need to worry. Not that he'd been worried before, not really.

“I was ten so not much. It was more of a learning by being there. It's not like my mom was actually giving me lessons. I wouldn’t have been able to sit still.” Brett’s hand is hovering awkwardly in the air unsure as to what way he should go about holding Liam.

“I can tell.”

“Thanks Theo. You’re really great at sharing.” Liam decides to help Brett with his dilemma by plastering himself to the alpha's side. Brett immediately responded by sticking his hand up the back of Liam’s shirt so he can stroke the shorter boy's spine.

“No need to be rude Brett. I’m about to help you out with your whole aggression problem you’ve managed to develop.” No matter the growth Theo had been experiencing it was clear he still experiences a great deal of joy at being the one person who knew what the fuck was going on.

“Just tell me dude.” At the very least Brett has lost almost all of the tension and aggression he’d had previously.

“The problem is the full moon. ” Theo pauses. “And Liam.” Liam levels a glare at Theo. Rude. “He’s Scott’s beta and that pisses you off. Until you learn control as an alpha you’re going to keep doing whatever you can to show anyone slightly supernatural that even though he’s Scott’s beta he’s actually yours. It doesn’t help that you don’t have much of a pack so all of those instincts need an outlet. If you’re looking for a quick fix you could always bite a few people and expand your pack. I’d say you’re too fresh to build a pack the same way Satomi and Scott have.”

“I think I’m okay with Lori and you for now. Let’s hold off on biting a bunch of randoms.” It sends a small pang of pain through his chest to not be on the list.

“Fine then you need to actually start acknowledging you're an alpha.”

“I do.” Brett’s hand had slid up to rest on Liam’s neck. He squeezes briefly causing Liam to shudder.

“Not on purpose. You’re barely even letting your instincts lead you outside of uncontrollable bursts. Just keep what I’m saying in mind. It's your decision to work on it or not.” Theo ends with a casual shrug then goes to shut himself in his room.

“We can still watch the movie.” Liam tugs himself free to get the popcorn and dump it into a bowl. He’s going to salvage this in some way. Maybe this was a blessing. They'd never live it down if they fucked in the kitchen.

It feels less like a blessing when they’re halfway through the movie and Liam can’t sit still. He’d started out fine, tucked under Brett’s arm on the couch. Then they’d finished the popcorn and the movie hit a slow point. Suddenly the hand in his hair that's occasionally dipping below his collar is all he can focus on.

Brett must catch on. The alpha’s eyes don’t leave the screen but the hand that isn’t gently tugging through Liam’s hair finds its way to his leg. He squirms in place. It’s been a while since he broke Theo’s nose but he’s contemplating restarting that countdown. Brett’s hand is warm even through the denim. His thumb is making small circles on Liam’s leg. Liam shifts in place again.

“Can’t get comfortable?” Brett’s eyes briefly run over him before returning to the screen. It's fast enough that he misses Liam’s glare. It’s a little harder to miss it when Liam decides to climb his way into the other boy's lap. “You’re going to miss the movie.” Despite this Brett wasn't watching anymore. His eyes were on Liam’s.

“You don’t care about the movie.” Liam may have crawled into Brett’s lap but he hadn’t lost yet.

“It doesn’t seem like you do either.” Brett’s hands run up the shorter beta’s sides.

“How could I when you wouldn’t let me pay attention?” Liam sits back on the alpha’s knees to create space for his own hands to make their way under Brett’s shirt. He gently runs his nails up Brett’s abs. Whether it's because of Liam’s hands on him now or because he’s still worked up from earlier Brett gives in.

There is no slow build up. One moment Brett is looking at him with a slightly smug look in his eyes and next his mouth is on Liam’s thumbs pressing into his jaw. It's frantic, almost clumsy, so he’s leaning towards still being worked up from earlier.

Liam is too. He’s almost dizzy with want. It feels like Brett’s end goal is to devour him based on the forceful way he's being kissed. They can’t get close enough through the layers but most of the time Liam feels like they can’t get close enough. Getting rid of said layers will help though.

He’s learned his lesson at least for the time being. Having Theo walk in on them meant that everything is staying on and buttoned in the shared spaces. Liam needs to move this before he forgets and they have a repeat of earlier. He’s enjoying himself where he is though. Liam is by no means small but Brett’s hands are big enough to hold him firmly in place.

It takes all his strength to pull away from their kissing. Brett takes it as a signal to relocate his mouth to Liam’s neck. “We should move this.”

“It seems like you’re enjoying yourself plenty,” Brett doesn’t pull away from where he’s kissing Liam’s neck. “Right here.” He punctuates it by dragging his teeth along the bite mark that he won’t let heal. Theo might have a point about Brett struggling with Liam being Scott’s bitten beta. He marks Liam up every chance he has and since he bit Liam the first time they had sex he's rebitten that same spot several times. At least he was keeping it to one spot that Liam could hide easily.

“I’m not trying to put on a show. At least not on purpose.” Brett conceded and lifted Liam to take him into the bedroom. He couldn't resist commenting though.

“Didn’t you get arrested for roaming the streets naked on one of your first full moons?” Liam shoves at Brett lightly, not interested in getting dropped.

“It was hot!” Liam doesn’t get to defend himself anymore as Brett drops him on the bed and immediately sets upon him. Liam returns Brett’s kiss and lets his shirt be stripped off. When Brett goes to press him down against the bedding Liam doesn’t go. Instead Liam tugs on Brett until he tumbles back flat onto the mattress so Liam can sling his leg back over Brett’s.

Liam shoves Brett’s shirt up his chest. The walls are not thick meaning Liam clearly hears it when Theo turns his headphones up as loud as they’ll go. Honestly he doesn’t have it in him to feel bad when Theo sprung coming home early on them. Brett doesn’t appear to either.

As soon as Liam gets his mouth back on Brett’s he knows he wants more. Based on the path Brett’s hands then mouth are trying to take, the alpha does too. Liam was quite happy with where he was though so Brett’s attempts to manhandle Liam on to his back again weren’t going to fly. It’s not like he wants to stop Brett from touching him though. He tightens the press of his legs to Brett’s sides as he’s almost tipped over. The beta finds himself resorting to grabbing Brett’s hands from where they’d been grabbing at his ass and pressing them into the mattress.

A growl escapes and Brett’s eyes flash red. Liam is glad that he’s not the only one startled as Brett freezes too. He deliberately does not let go of Brett’s wrists. Theo clearly knew what he was talking about but it’s also been eight months since Brett became an alpha so he has some control even with his more possessive tendencies. He’s grateful to be correct when Brett squeezes his eyes shut and takes slow deliberate breaths anchoring himself likely in the mantra from Satomi.

Just when he’s ready to resign himself to acquainting himself with a cold shower Brett lets out a final exhale and reopens his eyes, all aggression gone. In the interest of achieving his goal of getting off Liam lets go of Brett’s wrists and reaches for his jeans. Those wrists don’t move which is all that Liam needs to see in order to frantically resume making out while trying to get Brett naked the rest of the way. He’s not interested in stopping what they’re doing to finish the job, meaning Brett’s assistance is required when Liam lifts up to help drag everything off the older man. It doesn’t extend it by much before Liam is forced to pull away so he can get the rest of his clothes off too. While he’s up Brett shoves his way up the bed to prop himself up against the headboard of his bed. Once he’s settled he reaches out to tug Liam back.

Liam is happy to go. Theo’s music clicks up louder. Liam goes for the exposed column of Brett’s neck as the other boy lets out a startled laugh at the not quite mood music. The laugh morphs into a moan as Liam distracts them both from the music with his tongue and teeth. Brett’s hands find their way to grip Liam’s thighs but Brett doesn’t try to do anything other than touch. Liam does take it as encouragement and, with a final scrape of his teeth along Brett’s adams apple, moves so he is no longer perched in the alpha’s lap but is instead straddling it on his knees. This does bring his face above Brett’s. Liam firmly takes the other boy's face in his hands to redirect it from its journey to continue destroying his neck to meet him in a kiss. Any marks Brett left stuck around just long enough that other people saw them. Liam had enough from their earlier activities, more might make people concerned.

Liam’s thumbs press into Brett’s jaw again as he bites at his bottom lip. The hands wrapped around the backs of his thighs flexed then slid up to his ass. Liam let out a sigh in response and anticipation when one of them dropped away. It didn’t count as presumptuous that Brett had stashed lube in an easy access point when they’d both known where this was headed. He doesn’t have much patience though so when Brett doesn’t get his other hand back on Liam’s body he pulls away.

“Touch me.” It's surprisingly commanding. Liam had expected for it to come out an impatient whine.

“I am.” Brett squeezes the hand on Liam’s ass as proof then smirked when Liam glared.

“You know that's not what I meant.” That comes out the whine Liam had expected the first time. He reaches out to grab for Brett’s hand and the bottle within it. He tries not to make a mess as he slicks up his own hand and resettles in Brett’s lap to allow him to grasp both of their dicks. As Liam pumps them both he sets his lips on Brett’s neck creating bruises that won’t last, not like how Brett’s stay on Liam. Brett’s other hand finally returns slick and cool with unwarmed lube. The hand he’d already had on Liam’s body traveled upwards to tangle in the beta’s hair and encourage more teeth.

They’re both impatient enough that the prep is rushed. The lube is still cold as Brett pushes a finger in then, as soon as he can, a second. Brett twists his fingers and Liam’s thighs shake as he fucks himself down trying to get more. “Is this what you meant?” Liam gasped in response, unable to get words out as Brett stroked his prostate. His grasp around them both had loosened but it didn’t matter as he soon stopped entirely to reslick his hand. Once he began to lift himself up Brett’s fingers slipped out and his tacky hand reacquainted itself with Liam’s thigh.

With the fresh lube in his hand Liam gave Brett’s dick another few pumps then lined it up with his hole ready to get on with it. Claws pierced his thigh as he sunk down and Brett thrust up. Liam’s moan was louder despite or possibly because of the pain. “Fuck.” Liam set a brutal pace chasing his own pleasure. He was too into it to be embarrassed about how quickly this was going to be over.

“We are.” Brett thrust up again, throwing off Liam’s rhythm and making him whimper in disappointment. The beta braced his hands on Brett’s shoulders and ground himself down seeking both the brush of Brett’s dick on his prostate and friction on his own member.

“You could be doing it better.” Liam punctuated his purposefully antagonistic comment by hooking his teeth into Brett’s shoulder and biting. Brett was either more into being bitten than Liam had even realized or the alpha was closer than he’d thought because the other boy loses it at that.

Before he can finish releasing his groan of disappointment Liam finds himself being flipped onto his back and pressed into the mattress. He’s kissed quickly and roughly before Brett abandons his mouth in favor of making his way down Liam’s body. As soon as Brett’s mouth enveloped him Liam’s hands shot down to tangle in Brett's curls. With one arm braced on his hips pining him Liam’s thrusts were nonexistent leaving him at Brett’s mercy.

Being at Brett’s mercy meant that he has to deal with the fact that he’d been a little mean earlier. As soon as his grip tightened a bit more and his legs started to shake because he was close Brett backed off. “Is this better?” Sharp tipped claws belonging to the hand not pining him dragged up his thighs making them tremble harder.

“It would be better if you hadn’t stopped.” Brett made no move to resume because he was the worst. Liam barely managed a minute of their stand off before he switched tactics. He wasn’t above begging if he could get off. “Brett please.” Liam squirmed as he asked, he and Brett weren’t exactly on an even playing field as Brett had gotten to cum already and Liam was still desperate for release.

“Maybe if you ask nicely.” Brett was having way too much fun.

“I said please.”

“Sure but please what. It was nice but I don’t know what you’re asking for.” Liam knew Brett wasn’t confused. He still bucked up and managed to catch Brett off guard so he could return to their earlier position.

“I can show you.” The show of strength causes a renewed interest in Brett strong enough that Liam could smell it. If Liam hadn’t been trying to find time to enjoy sex with his boyfriend for weeks he might have tried to retaliate for the teasing he’d endured. Instead he was quick to pick back up where he’d left off when he’d marked Brett up in the same spot Brett kept remarking on him. To avoid the same thing happening Liam kept his hands braced on Brett’s chest keeping him flat on the mattress while Liam takes care of himself.

Considering the fact that he’s gotten interrupted twice Liam was surprised that he didn't cum in under a minute. He doesn’t last long though. It felt good for him and based on the way Brett’s head was thrown back it felt just as good for him. Liam switched from slamming his hips down to grinding, keeping Brett’s dick pressing against his prostate and shooting quickly building pleasure up his spine. Even though Liam was doing almost all of the work, pleas fell from his lips while he tried to get them over the edge.

Human nails dug into Brett’s pecs as Liam’s movements become sloppy. Liam didn’t even think what was coming out of his mouth was actually understandable but Brett managed to figure it out enough to start fucking up. It's uncoordinated as they both race towards orgasm. With a few firm thrusts Liam finally shudders through his first orgasm spilling over Brett’s chest. The alpha followed shortly behind letting out a low groan as he found his second release of the night.

With what is definitely an unsexy grunt of effort Liam swung his leg from over Brett and pressed the length of his body into Brett’s side. Brett twisted his head to nose at Liam’s hair and tried to calm his panting. They’d need to get up eventually to clean themselves but Liam wanted to spend a little longer blissed out and surrounded by their intermingled scents.

Chapter Text

It was likely the last time Liam would have to go to Devenford and it was a blessing. The size of classes and the auditorium hadn’t changed so Lori got four tickets just like Brett had. Her fourth ticket went to Theo and Lori had a brief cry about how many people were missing out on her life events. Brett had taken that one while Liam and Theo had sat silently on the couch staring at the paused TV screen. The night before Lori’s graduation was not a happy one.

The day of her graduation was going to be better. They’d tried to go all out. Devenford was a private school and so it tended to try to have a serious graduation. Liam had made an obnoxious sign for her and found a bell to ring when she was announced. They were going to be obnoxious enough to piss everyone else off.

Scott met them in the parking lot again. Brett’s arm tightened almost imperceptibly from where it was tucked around Liam. Theo still notices it but must decide that he’s not going to rehash their month-old conversation in a prep school parking lot. Scott is quick to pull Theo aside anyways leaving Brett and Liam in limbo. They’re both definitely eavesdropping but what else could Scott expect. He barely walks away from them.

“Argent heard back from his connections in Montana. They think Monroe might have landed there after she fled.” Scott was facing away from them so Liam couldn't see how concerned he was by that information.

“They think or they know? We’ve also had reports of her still being in California. If we’re going to be that far from Beacon I want to be sure.”

“There have been multiple sightings of Vargas and Ferrell within Sheridan. They’ve popped up in a few different towns but all close to each other.” Liam grimaced. Not everyone had come to their senses and returned to peaceful oblivion with the death of the Anuk-ite. The sheriff’s department had faced several losses which was why Theo had been able to start working on tracking Monroe with Argent and Sheriff Stilinski at the station.

“Have they seen Monroe?”

“They couldn’t confirm that they had seen her but she might just be staying out of sight. There aren’t any warrants out for them at the moment so they have more freedom of movement.”

“It’s not enough to go off of. I’ll dig into more tomorrow but I feel like we’re missing something. It can’t be as simple as they want to be close enough to escape over the border.”

“It would be nice if it was though.” Scott ends his ‘private’ conversation with Theo at that. Theo is well aware of just how public the conversation he had with Scott actually was as he firmly plants Scott in between himself, Brett and Liam.

Theo may not be able to avoid filling them in when Scott doesn’t seem inclined to forever but he’ll be able to avoid it for the day. All he has to do is stay away until Lori rejoins the group. Liam knows that at least he is not interested in facing Lori’s wrath by being worried about Monroe suddenly remerging at her graduation party. There were other things to worry about anyways.

Despite the wonder that was never having to return to Devenford, less great were all the people they could run into. It wasn’t even really running into them. It was their graduation. Having only graduated a year ago Brett was well known amongst the graduating class and had a decent amount of people he was friendly with. They hold off for a while, long enough for Lori to come over and give them all hugs that are just a little wet. Liam can still feel them looming the whole time. He doesn’t let it stop him from hollering as loud as he can when she’s called. the bell is just the right amount of obnoxious. Brett and Theo are just as loud if not louder. It's a far cry from being a chimera of death, the teen holding a glittery sign up and making Lori tear up as she crosses the stage.

From their seats in the auditorium Liam keeps meeting Lori’s eyes as she glances back towards them. She seems ready to vibrate out of her cap and gown. After they’re given the signal to move their tassel and set free Lori clambers over the seats, some of which still had people, to avoid the crowded aisles. Once she’s managed to get near them she launches herself over the last row of seats so Brett can catch her. Liam distracts himself from their moment by retrieving her cap from where the bobby pins had failed and the force of her jump had sent it flying.

Once Liam has gotten her cap off the floor, along with some hair pins that he really hoped were hers, Lori had been returned to the ground. Brett was still clinging to Lori. The air around them was salty and the top of Lori’s hair was damp when the two siblings finally separated. Lori stays still long enough for Scott to give her an awkward clap on the shoulder in congratulations before Liam jams her cap on top of her head and pulls Lori in for a hug next. Theo had managed to float towards the edge of the group from his seat on the other side of Scott. With Lori having made her way through greetings with everyone else he wasn’t staying on the sidelines for long.

Lori doesn’t have to resort to climbing on the seats again only because Scott senses he should make way for her. Watching Theo participate in a hug was almost sad due to how awkward he was. Lori didn’t seem to mind, dragging it out for as long as she wanted knowing Theo would let her. Lori stuck around for photos before bolting off to get group photos with the other theater kids leaving them in the lurch. It’s fine for the approximately five minutes until Brett is pulled away by the former lacrosse team members he'd felt lurking and Liam is left with only Scott and Theo for buffers.

The two are not enough to stick in the auditorium. Liam manages to last about fifteen minutes before he starts trying to catch either Brett or Lori’s eye so he can signal he’s going to wait outside. Instead he meets coach Andrew’s and decides he can send them a text.

Theo is in the same boat and seems happy to escape to the parking lot with Liam. Scott doesn’t have any reason to stay so even though he doesn’t feel the same urge to get out he follows behind them. It’s too early for Scott to head out as he was headed to the Talbot-Rohr-Raeken apartment for Lori’s graduation party. That left him leaning against Theo’s truck.

“Whats going on with Monroe?” Liam hadn’t meant to try and get answers but the opportunity was presenting itself.

“Nothing you need to worry about.” Scott was quick to answer. His answer set Liam’s hair on end. What purpose did it serve to be secretive? Theo seemed to immediately realize Scott’s mistake.

“If she’s still out there roaming free then I’m worried.”

“Argent is taking care of it.”

“Monroe isn’t going to leave us alone because we decided to let Argent take the lead.” Liam volleys back. He tries to focus on fiddling with the buttons on his shirt instead of how he’s slowly getting more mad at Scott. Monroe being a topic of conversation had that effect.

“She’s not a danger to us right now, without the Anuk-ite she doesn’t have the people and without Gerard she doesn’t have the resources.” Scott’s adopted a more pacifying tone, one Liam is very familiar with. While it isn’t a fix all he lets it be calming instead of taking it and ramping up more.

“I just don’t like not knowing. Eventually she’s going to come back for us.” Scott rests a hand on Liam’s arm before he can spiral further.

“If she-”

“When.” Liam interrupts.

“We will be ready for whatever happens.” Scott levels a look at Liam that he’s sure is meant to inspire confidence in him.

“Ready for what?” Liam chooses to believe that Brett and Lori can sneak up on him only because he is so used to them. Brett’s arm tucks itself back around Liam. The taller boy’s eyes are locked on the point of contact Scott’s hand is making with Liam’s arm. Theo lets out an almost imperceivable laugh which snaps Brett’s attention to the chimera.

Lori is tucked under Brett’s other arm, maroon gown unzipped and cap barely on her head. She witnesses the interaction with pursed lips. Liam imagined she would be asking questions about it later. Today though was about her and so Liam could see her almost visibly shaking off her questions. Since she drove in separately they split up to return to the apartment.

Lori’s graduation party is by no means a somber affair. She’d had her moment the night before. Instead it’s about as lively as they can manage without bringing complaints to the Talbot-Rohr-Raken apartment. The place may be a three bedroom but if it seemed crowded for group hangouts that had nothing on the combined size of both packs. Most of Scott’s pack was only swinging by for a little bit. Long enough for Lori to seem like she may never recover from being in such close proximity to a freshly released Kira.

Once the apartment had cleared of all its additional guests the rest of them settled in as best they could. Seating options had not expanded in fact, after the second broken beanbag an apartment wide ban had been enacted and, seated had shrunk. The chair was already at maximum capacity with Mason and Corey. The couch wasn’t made for five. Maybe they could have made it work but Liam was respecting the fact that it was Lori’s night and refraining from anything, like sitting in Brett’s lap, that would have made her publicly shame them.

Instead Liam was taking one for the team and trying to get comfortable on the floor. Brett will still end up using Liam’s lap as a pillow by they time the movie is half over so they might still get shamed. Where he is leaned against the couch Theo’s foot is occasionally accidentally and occasionally on purpose connecting with the back of his head. Theo gets away with it for about half an hour before Lori finally notices and makes Theo sit on the middle cushion between her and Nolan. All this succeeds in doing is relocating Theo’s occasional kicks to the back of Brett initiating the pillowing early. Well that and give Lori access to his hair. While Lori had selected the movie line up she had apparently grown bored with paying attention.

The first touch to the top of his head had startled him. Brett had started to move before realizing what had made Liam jump. Brett let out a laugh and laid back down. Last time Lori had done this Monroe was just a guidance counselor and Satomi’s pack was still around. The thought makes him shake in a combination of rage and sadness.

“Don’t move.” Lori instructs. Her directions draw the attention of everyone else. No one says anything but Liam has a feeling he’ll hear about it later. Instead of just twisting and braiding random chunks of varying sizes it seems like she's trying to do just one. She must decide that his hair isn’t long enough for that the third time he finds himself wiping hair away from his eyes. She doesn’t give up but switches tactics and decides to do two. As silly as it is, he's glad to have this. To be surrounded by the people he’s closest to in the safety of the Talbot-Rohr-Raeken apartment. This is the kind of moment he worries about being destroyed when Monroe comes back. He’s going to try his hardest to focus on Mason laughing at Corey’s whispered commentary or the feeling of Brett’s ungelled curls twisted between his fingers. He can only hope to keep this by stay prepared for Monroe’s return.