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Liam put on his best professional smile while the blogger spoke into her selfie camera. "Hi, DinerTribe I'm here with on set of Family Diner with our favorite oldest son Spencer Jones himself, Liam Dunbar."
He leaned in close and waved. "Hiiii," he drew the word out.
"Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me, Liam. In the last episode we saw Spencer's best friend, Mike, played by Theo Raeken, kiss your little sister, Kay, played by Lori Rhol. How do you think Spencer will react?"
Liam laughed. "That's up to the writers, but Spencer is chill and he knows Mike is a good guy. I don't think they'll go the outdated toxic 'must protect the girl' route." Truth was, they had already filmed that episode, and they played on that stereotype without giving in or endorsing it.
"What do you think this development will mean for Spike?" She asked with the eagerness of a kid on Christmas morning.
Liam shrugged. "Spike is a fan ship. I'm all for the fans doing their thing and making art or writing their own stories, but it's up to the writers and network if it becomes real for the show." He smiled while she reminded everyone to watch the show and ended the recording.
---
Liam watched Theo flick through the pictures on his phone. He was beautiful and shirtless laying in bed in Theo's trailer. They were done filming for the day so he had switched his contacts for his clear plastic framed glasses. "So your family is like a big gay Brady Bunch?" he asked, looking up.
Liam laughed. "Kinda. Mom had Scott with her first husband, and got divorced when he was six. Dad had Stiles with his first wife but she died when Stiles was eight. They got married to each other two years later and started fostering. They adopted Corey, Garrett, Matt and me. They would have adopted Isaac, too, but him and Scott got serious. We've never made a big deal about orientation. I think most of us fall in the bi/pan category, except Corey is gay and Garrett and Matt are straight."
"And none of your giant family or their dates will tell about us?"
Liam frowned. He knew what Theo was referring to. A year and a half ago TMZ had gotten a hold of pictures of Liam and his ex-boyfriend at a family fourth of July barbeque. It wasn't how he wanted to come out. It could have ruined his career, but his manager spun the story to make it about a young actor being outed before he was ready and his family, fans and LGBT groups had rallied to his defense.
He gave his boyfriend his best smile. "No one will say anything. We've had a strict family only rule since Matt's ex-girlfriend sold those pictures of Nolan and me."
Theo returned the smile. "So am I the exception to the rule?"
"You and Mason, but I've known him since I was five and he's engaged to Corey. We can trust him."
Theo smiled and pulled Liam into his arms. "Good." They shared a kiss.
---
Liam parked the car in front of his parents' house. He bounced with excitement. Time with his family was special. He could relax, and not worry about his public persona or his image. He could just be Liam with people who loved him for being Liam.
He glanced at the passenger seat. Light reflected off his glasses made it impossible for Liam to see Theo's eyes, but the set of his shoulders, the way he held his mouth made him look nervous. "They're going to love you," he assured.
Theo looked nervous. "I'm sure I'll love them, too. This visit just feels like a big risk when I'm not even out."
"You can relax with my family. They can keep a secret, but if you don't want to go in we don't have to. I'll text Mom and we can go to a hotel." As much as he wanted to see his family he didn't want Theo to feel rushed or pressured.
Theo smiled and Liam felt his heart soar. "I'm not going to shit on your Christmas with your family, besides I want to meet them. Your parents and brothers sound really cool."
They got out of the car, and Liam opened the door without knocking. Both young men were enveloped in welcoming hugs. Liam watched his parents accept his boyfriend into their home the same way they had accepted him and all of his brothers.
---
Christmas with Liam's close knit family was a unique experience for Theo. His family wasn't close. They were a showbiz family, his dad an actor who may not be at the top of the A list anymore, but he was still on it, his mom a popstar with decades of hits. He and his sister were raised by a team of nannies, until Tara decided to follow in Mom's footsteps and they started touring together when she was fourteen. As a kid it wasn't uncommon to go months without seeing any of them. As an adult they texted a couple times a year.
He watched Liam talking to his sister-in-law, a beautiful redhead with an obvious baby bump and after getting a nod he knelt down and started singing to her stomach. She laughed. Theo could see Stiles laughing, too. They started singing along and he could finally hear the words. "I'm just a poor boy. I need no sympathy."
Soon the entire family was singing. They were terrible, off key, and had no sense of harmony, but what they lacked in musical ability they more than made up for with enthusiasm. Theo couldn't help but join in. He laughed so hard his chest hurt when Scott air guitared the solo while Isaac, Corey and Garret made screeching waa waa waa noises.
"Consider this a warning, Theo," Melissa said with her eyes sparkling, "they are all completely sober. We haven't got out the eggnog yet."
Liam's grin lit up his whole face. "I finally get to try some of Grandma Lena's Eggnog this year."
"Grandma Lena's Eggnog?" Theo asked.
"Old family recipe, uses a lot of starka." Noah set out a large punch bowl. "But as county sheriff I don't let underage kids drink it. You only play a seventeen year old, right?"
Theo nodded. "I'm twenty two."
"Then you are welcome to have some, if you want. We also have spiced cider in the crockpot and cranberry sprite," Noah offered.
He accepted a glass of the famous eggnog and they fell into easy conversations. No one made a big deal of his family or his and Liam's show. He sat on the couch with Liam, Corey and Mason and talked about video games.
---
Liam felt comfortably buzzed. He was alternating eggnog with cider so he wouldn't get too drunk. He watched Theo talking to Mom. He had no idea what they were talking about but they both seemed to be enjoying the conversation.
Garrett sat next to him, gushing about his girlfriend. Six months in and his brother was head over heels. "We have to set up some time for you to meet Violet, Liam. She's amazing. Most of the family has already met her."
"I'll take you guys to lunch before I go back to LA," Liam offered. Garrett beamed at him.
The door opened and Matt walked in with a pretty brunette. They held hands and she looked nervous. "Everyone, this is Allison, my fiance," Matt said and held up her hand with the ring.
Liam looked at Garret and Scott. They looked just as surprised as he felt. He looked to where his boyfriend and mom had just been talking. Mom stood alone, then he saw Theo slip out of the room. He had the hood of his sweatshirt pulled up and his head tilted down.
Rage. Liam felt rage like the kind that had gotten him removed from his first few foster homes. The kind he knew led to his father's prison sentence and his mother's grave. Garret's hand touched his chest, not holding him, but reminding him not to give in. He took several deep breaths. He was not his father and it wouldn't control him.
"What the fuck, Matt? You know the rule," he snarled.
"Family only? What, you and Corey can bring your boyfriends but I can't bring my fiance? I think fiance is closer to family than boyfriend." Matt put his arm around Allison. Liam couldn't tell if he was protecting her or using her as a shield.
Mom stepped in. "Congratulations on your engagement. I'm sure Allison is a wonderful woman, but now wasn't the time to introduce her to the family. It's about trust, Matt, and none of us know her, yet."
Liam clenched his jaw. They had the rule so he could relax and be himself, not the smiling guy doing vlogger interviews with fangirls. "I've known Mason for years. I trust him. I trust my boyfriend not to put our pictures in tabloids. Your track record with trustworthy dates is shit and you expect me to just be happy with your surprise fiance." He left the room before he gave in to the rage and hit his brother.
---
Theo didn't pull back his hood, or even breathe until he was safe in Liam's bedroom. Liam said his family was safe. This new girl was an unknown. Theo hated unknowns. He didn't want to keep his public face on, but he didn't have a choice. It would have to be the one he used when he went clubbing, smiling, charming distant. They would see the difference. Liam would see the difference.
A door slammed. Stopping footsteps came closer to him. He flinched. He was not used to family drama. Even his parents divorce hadn't been more dramatic than some paperwork. It was hard to be dramatic when you were never together. The real stuff was so much worse than being on set where fits and yelling were just annoying and unprofessional or part of the script.
Liam stepped into the room. He looked pissed. He didn't think, just pulled Liam into a tight hug. Liam relaxed against his chest. "We can go, if you want. I can't promise she won't sell pictures or talk about us."
"We're kinda drunk, definitely too drunk to drive."
"Uber?"
"At eight thirty on Christmas Eve?" Theo shook his head. "I still don't want to shit on your family Christmas. Give me a few minutes to get into my public party headspace." he felt Liam nod. They stood there for a few minutes just holding each other.
There was a gentle tapping at the door. "Can I come in?" Scott asked.
Liam opened the door and nodded. Theo sat on the bed.
Scott closed the door and leaned against it. "Allison tried to get Matt to leave as soon as you stomped off. He refused and started arguing with Mom. I went to talk to Allison, let her know it wasn't anything against her, just a bad situation."
"Good. Thanks," Liam said. "I feel bad that Matt did this to her. He had to know bringing her would cause shit. I don't know why he would do that to someone he loves."
Scott nodded. "When I told her what Erica did she pulled out her phone, texted her dad that she was safe but wouldn't have her phone the next two days, turned it off and handed it to me. They actually have an arranged distress word. She didn't say it, she just pointed out it's absence in the text." He held up an iPhone in a silver case with a green Fleur-de-lis on the back. "She wants you guys to enjoy your Christmas and not have to worry about her."
Theo smiled. He felt warmth in the pit of his stomach. "That's more assurance than I could ask for."
"You read her text to her dad?" Liam asked.
Scott rolled his eyes. "She wanted me to see she wasn't texting a reporter. You guys want to come back downstairs?"
All three rejoined the party.
---
Theo was comfortable. He laid on his stomach with an arm and a leg tossed over Liam. They were both in their underwear. He had actually giggled when he saw Liam's red Santa suit style boxers. He blamed Grandma Lena.
The theme music from Friday the 13th started playing. Theo groaned. He hated dealing with anything publicity related. That's why he had a publicist. Why was his publicist calling him now? He picked up his phone. "Jason, why are you waking me up on Christmas morning?"
"It's noon. Who sleeps in that late in Christmas?" Jason sounded annoyed, maybe even angry.
"Noon? Huh, blame Grandma Lena. What's up?" He rolled over and his head swam and stomach rolled. Maybe he had too much of the eggnog. Liam groaned.
"Grandma who? Never mind." Yes, Theo thought Jason definitely sounded angry. "TMZ emailed me. They say they have pictures of you and Liam Dunbar at a Christmas party, and in bed together, nothing sexual, but definitely a couple sleeping in the same bed. Do you want to comment?"
The blood drained from Theo's face. He licked his lips. "Don't tell them anything, but see if you can stall them long enough for me to talk to my parents."
"Alright. I'll call Liam's manager and we'll work together on this. I'm sorry, Theo. I know you wanted to keep this part of your life private, but regardless of what we do they will post it today. Talk to Liam, decide together how you want to handle it."
"Thanks, Jason." He hung up the phone. Liam was talking, echoing his own words into his phone.
"I'm so sorry, Theo. I promised you would be safe here. I-" He bit his lip. Tears welled up in his eyes.
"You didn't do it." Theo took a few deep breaths. "Go talk to your family, figure out what the fuck happened, and who came in here to take pictures while we were sleeping. I'm… I'm going to talk to mine. I don't want them finding out I'm gay though a tabloid."
"Yeah. I'll figure it out and make sure it never happens again." Liam pulled on his pants and a hoodie. He put a hand on Theo's shoulder. "I love you."
Theo smiled. "I love you, too."
The bedroom door closed and he looked at his phone. His family definitely wasn't homophobic. They wouldn't care if he was gay. He was pretty sure that his dad, at least, was bi. Some of his guy friends had seemed too close to be just friends, but Dad didn't make relationship announcements or do PDA, and they had never talked about it.
He should call them. The thought of having the conversation three times was unbearable. He opened the family group text. He saw his sister had sent a beach selfie of her with reindeer antlers. Her equally famous popstar boyfriend was in the background.
Theo: sorry to bring down the Christmas mood or whatever, but you guys should know TMZ is about to post some pictures of me and my boyfriend.
Tara: what the fuck! Fuck those Scroogey bastards
Mom: I'm sorry, sweetie. What kind of pics? Do I need to worry about seeing parts I don't want to see?
Theo: nothing like that. Jason said us at a Christmas party and in bed together.
Dad: want me to come out in solidarity? I'll ask Zachary.
Theo: only if you want to.
Tara: how the fuck they get pics of you like that?
Theo: someone in Liam's family had to have taken/sold them, probably his brother. The guy is shady AF. Liam is dealing with it.
Mom: that is fucked up
Tara: I'm gonna write a song about murder now
Dad: Liam? From the show?
Mom: like father like son 😂 you guys have a thing for costars.
Mom: seriously, though I hope the leak and TMZ get diarrhea while stuck in traffic.
Theo: I love you guys
---
Liam looked around the kitchen. Dad sat at the table talking with Stiles and Lydia. Matt sat across from them on his phone. Scott leaned against the counter watching Isaac and Allison make cinnamon rolls. Isaac was explaining something about icing technique. Mom stirred the crockpot full of hot chocolate. Garrett hovered around the coffee pot, looking half dead. Mason and Corey weren't in sight, but he could hear them in the next room. It sounded like they were video chatting with Mason's parents.
His stomach did a flip. One of them betrayed him. A member of his family outed his boyfriend. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and went through his mantra.
"Hey, look who's finally up," Mom said, bright and cheery. "Are you up for food or did Grandma Lena do a number on your stomach?"
Liam shook his head. He wasn't sure he could talk yet. He took a few more deep breaths.
"Are you okay? Where's Theo?" Dad asked, his voice laced with concern.
"He's upstairs coming out to his family. He didn't want them finding out when they see the pictures of us on the internet." He looked around at his family and took another deep breath. "Pictures taken here, last night."
"Are you sure?" Scott asked. Liam saw him put his hand in the pocket of his hoodie.
"I'm sure. They sent my manager heavily cropped samples. He said they were definitely taken here." He clenched his jaw
"Allison?" Matt asked, sounding like an accusation. She looked up, her mouth open in shock, but before she would say anything Scott set her phone on the table. Matt whirled at Scott, even more accusation in his voice. "Why do you have my fiance's phone?"
"I asked him to hold it for me so Liam would know I wasn't going to do anything like this," Allison said, her voice hard, angry.
Stiles reached across the table and snatched Matt's phone out of his hand. "Yoink."
Matt glared. "I'm not unlocking that for you." Stiles rolled his eyes and entered Matt's swipe code. "Are you going to go through everyone's phone?"
Stiles shook his head. "I won't have to. Scott and Isaac are too loyal, but even if they weren't Scott had Allison's phone all night. It would be so easy to frame her. Same with Mason and Corey, on the loyalty, not the framing. They're all bipedal puppies. If pushed into a corner Garret might screw over Isaac or me, maybe even Scott but him and Liam are tight. Besides, these things only seem to happen when you bring a date. A date you dump right after. Found the emails to TMZ, and the pics. Creepy one of them sleeping. You stand in the doorway to take that?" Liam's phone buzzed with an incoming message. "That was me, and delete, delete, delete, delete and delete, aaand the cloud backups delete, delete, delete, delete and delete."
Liam looked at Matt. He felt his anger deflate. Confused betrayal took its place. "Why?"
Matt looked annoyed. "My photography business was slow. I need the money."
That answer did nothing to relieve the confusion. "I could have loaned you money." He'd paid off Mom and Dad's house, helped school costs for Corey and Garrett. He would have helped Matt if he asked.
"Why would I take a loan when I can snap a half dozen pictures and make a quarter of a million that I don't have to pay back?" Matt sneered.
Dad looked at Matt critically. "After Liam was outed through the same tabloid you upgraded a lot of your equipment. It wasn't Erica. It was you."
Mom walked around the counter and stood next to Matt. "You had other options. Matt, your my son and I love you-"
"I'm not your son," Matt interrupted, spitting the words with contempt. "I was seventeen when you 'adopted' me. You don't get credit as my mom. I only stuck around because you guys were willing to pay for shit, and I could save the money my real family left me."
Liam's vision went red. He lunged at Matt but hands held him back. "He would probably press charges just to give you bad press," Scott said in his ear. "He isn't worth it."
Dad put a comforting hand on Mom's back. "I really hope you don't mean that, but think you need to leave all the same."
Matt pushed past the parents he rejected, and headed for the door. "Whatever, I'm done with you guys. Come on, Allison."
"Fuck you." Her eyes blazed with anger. She held out the ring she'd been wearing on her left hand. "I don't even want to be near you."
"You were disposable, anyway. I only proposed so I could bring you to this, blame you for the story and dump you." He walked out without looking back.
---
Liam checked his hair, took a deep breath. He took one last glance at the background. He sat on the floor in front of a chair, next to that was the Christmas tree, and the still wrapped presents.
He waved at the camera, and smiled. "Hey everyone! Wow, I did not expect this many of you to log on to see me on Christmas. As you can see our festivities over here got a bit delayed, first by Grandma Lena's Eggnog. That stuff packs a punch." He laughed. "My dad's a cop so he was pretty strict on the legal drinking age. My boyfriend and I slept until noon."
His face fell and he sighed. "Shortly after that I found out one of my brothers, I have six, is a douchebag. He took some pics of me and my boyfriend and sold them." He paused for a moment to let that sink in. "Yeah, that caused some drama… even more because my boyfriend wasn't out."
He watched the background as Theo walked into frame and sat behind him. He kept his head out of view. Theo put his hands on Liam's shoulders and he leaned into frame. "But I'm sure as hell not letting those assholes out me." Liam leaned back into him and Theo kissed his cheek.
"So, to thoroughly screw over both of them here's the pictures my brother sold as an exclusive." Liam raised his middle finger at the camera.
Theo raised his middle finger as well. "Yeah, fuck you, TMZ," he said and kissed Liam, deeply.
Liam ended the livestream, finished posting the pictures and silenced his notifications. "Our fans are going to explode."
Theo pulled Liam into his arms. "Yeah, probably, but I don't want to think about any of that. Let's just go cook with your family."
Liam grinned. "You just want to eat, and so we can finally get to presents."
"You guys always wait until after noon to open them?"
"No, usually just until everyone's up, except for that year Grandpa got back into the eggnog over breakfast and passed out on the couch." Theo laughed and they walked into the kitchen together to help make Christmas dinner.