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Liam shifted slightly, his back scraping against the trunk of the tree through his thin t-shirt. His ass had gone numb about an hour ago from sitting on the hard ground and a stone was digging into his left thigh, not enough to hurt, just a minor nuisance. He continued to stroke the furry head draped across his legs.
The sun peeked through the clouds momentarily, its rays dappling through the leaves. Liam squinted at the sky, letting the sunlight warm him.
The big black wolf, using his thighs as a pillow, flicked his ears to get rid of a wasp buzzing around its head. Its eyes were closed and its body was rising and falling rhythmically. Liam wasn’t sure if Theo had actually dozed off or if he was just pretending to sleep. His bet would be on the latter.
After the night he had, Liam knew sleep wouldn’t come to him that easily.
Liam felt suspended in time, his mind felt fuzzy and his eyes gritty. He wasn’t sure what time it was, but the sun was overhead, so Liam guessed it was atleast midday. His stomach grumbled.
“You know, I’m pretty sure you knocked over my coffee mug in your rush to get here,” Liam's voice was scratchy. He had tried to maintain a constant stream of commentary about everything and nothing when they had got here, partly to amuse himself and partly to distract Theo. But he had given up when he had not received so much as a grunt from him.
Theo huffed but didn't respond further. Not that his wolf noises would have made any sense to Liam, but it was better than being completely ignored.
“You'll have to buy me a new one for my birthday if you broke it.” Liam jostled his legs, making Theo growl in annoyance.
Liam closed his eyes, feeling the burn against his eyelids. He rested his head against the trunk of the tree and felt sleep tugging at his mind. He had been dozing on and off for hours now. If he knew he’d have to be the emotional support pillow for a shape-shifting chimera, he would've brought a book or something.
He was at the edge of consciousness when he heard a faint rustling from the deep within the preserve. His fingers tightened instinctually in Theo’s fur, making him grunt slightly. He raised his head from Liam’s lap a second later, his nose twitching and head whipping around to look to the side of the clearing, where the sound was coming from. He dug his claws into Liam's thigh, making him yelp and swat the wolf's head.
His werewolf hearing had clocked the sound of footsteps coming towards them and the scent of the human attached to those feet.
Liam slumped back on the tree as Scott’s head peeked from the undergrowth at the edge of the clearing, his face breaking into a pleased little smile when he saw them together. Theo plopped down on his thighs, closing his eyes again, clearly deeming the arrival of his Alpha not worth any further attention.
“Hey.” Scott’s greeting was soft. He stopped in front of the pair, hands stuffed in his faded blue hoodie.
“Hey, Scott.” Liam gave him a little wave. “How did you find us?”
Scott rubbed his head and shrugged. “Oh, I tried calling you this morning but you weren’t picking up, so I went by your apartment and well, I followed your scent here.”
He meant he followed the acrid scent of two very distressed werecreatures there. Liam could see the worry clearly in Scott’s eyes but he didn’t question their current states, Theo in his wolf form lying limp over Liam’s legs and Liam looking even worse.
“Hey, Theo, you’re…looking good.”
Theo raised his head and growled at Scott, flicking his tail in his direction.
Scott chuckled. “You want to translate that Theo wolf speak for me?”
Liam rolled his eyes and rubbed Theo’s flank. “Oh, I think that was pretty self-explanatory.”
Scott let out a laugh and nodded good-naturedly.
“What were you calling me about?”
“Oh, Argent wanted to talk about the hunter group you guys encountered outside the town.”
Liam and Theo had come across two hunter couples near Wilton, when Liam had convinced Theo to take an impromptu road trip. They had spent the weekend arguing over which music to play, gorging themselves on some truly amazing waffles and spending nights on the truck bed to look at the stars. It was the perfect weekend right up until they had met the hunters. Liam had been glad that no claws or weapons had been drawn, they had been able to escape before the hunters realized what they were.
“Do you need me to come?” Liam would never say no to Scott, especially when it came to pack business but he didn’t want to leave Theo alone.
But Scott only shook his head, his gaze drifting to Theo briefly before smiling at Liam. He understood. “No, I’ll keep you updated.”
Liam nodded his head and tried to convey his gratitude with his eyes. Scott looked like he understood. An Alpha understood his beta like no other.
Scott rocked back on his heels and stuffed his hands in his sweatshirt. Liam could feel that he wanted to say more, it wasn’t in Scott’s nature to not provide comfort when another person clearly needed it. But after a few awkward beats of silence, he waved them goodbye and took his leave.
“He’s going to be hovering around you even more for the next couple of days. I know how much you’re going to love that.” Liam flicked Theo’s ear, and Theo poked him in his stomach with his snout in retaliation.
A cool breeze ruffled his hair and Liam leaned back, sighing softly, shifting his legs and successfully dislodging the rock under his thigh. He closed his eyes, and before he knew it he was asleep.
..........................
Liam snapped awake with a gasp, looking around the clearing which was a lot less bright than he remembered. The setting sun bathed the horizon in hues of orange and yellow. Theo was nowhere to be found. Liam raked a hand over his face, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He stood up and made his way out of the preserve. He knew from previous experience that searching for Theo was a fruitless endeavor. He would be found only when he wanted to be. Theo had the tendency of sulking in the trees after a rough night, but he always came back to Liam.
Last night Liam had woken to Theo’s elbow connecting painfully with his jaw. His grunt of pain had been muffled by a deep growl, one filled with threat and anger. Even in his sleep-addled state, Liam knew what he was dealing with instantly. Nightmare.
There was no easy way to get Theo to wake up, sometimes Liam’s words worked. One memorable time, in blind panic he had thrown a glass of water on Theo’s face to break the hold his nightmare seemed to have on him. The image of his big scary boyfriend, drenched and sputtering in bed was enough to make him laugh, which in turn had made Theo laugh.
How he’ll react to Liam’s touch after a nightmare was also anyone’s guess. Sometimes he’d get an armful of chimera, clinging to him, his breath coming fast and damp against his neck, other times, he would get his shirt torn and bedspread soaked in blood from Theo’s sharp claws.
Last night, he had tentatively put a hand on Theo’s shoulder. The next thing he knew, he was looking into yellow lupine eyes, connected to a hairy head with a snout pulled up to reveal lethal canines.
Theo had given a low growl in Liam’s direction and skidded across the room, as far away from Liam as he could go.
Liam had slid down on the floor, his eyes never leaving the dark shape hidden in the shadows, wearing the darkness like a garb. The wolf’s electric yellow eyes were trained on Liam, he could hear panting, and an occasional growl. Liam had tried talking to him, trying to tell Theo he was safe but Theo had let out the most pitiful whine whenever Liam tried talking. So they had sat together the rest of the night on opposite sides of their bedroom, barely moving a muscle, barely taking their eyes off each other.
It was only when sunlight started peeking through the curtains that Theo showed any signs of life. He took off from their apartment, the black mass a blur as he dashed through the place, with Liam following close by. Another time, Liam would have laughed at the hilarity of a big black wolf climbing down the stairs of their third-story walk-up, no doubt terrorizing the other residents of the building.
Liam walked through the preserve and got into his car. It was only through the virtue of his heightened werewolf senses that he made it back home without falling asleep on the wheel and avoiding bodily damage.
Liam pushed the open door of their apartment, dragging his feet to the kitchen, exhaustion weighing down his bones. He made a strong cup of coffee for himself. He took out the bowl of chili from the fridge and put it in the microwave to heat.
Liam leaned against the kitchen counter, sipped the bitter coffee, and looked over at the mess in the living room. The coffee table was on its side and he could see pieces of his favorite coffee mug strewn across the floor. The lamp Liam had bought from a garage sale was hanging on the arm of the couch. Liam felt grateful that their apartment was not more cluttered with stuff.
He decided to wait for Theo to get home to clean up the mess. He finished his coffee, retrieved his phone from his bedside table and texted Scott asking for updates about his meeting with Argent. It took all the energy in him to make it to the couch and slump down.
Liam spent the next hour texting with Mason who was attending a conference in Florida. He had just received a selfie of his best friend with a beautiful beach as a backdrop when he heard the front door open. He looked over to find Theo, dressed in a black hoodie, with his hands stuffed deep into the pockets. He looked at Liam for a while, not saying a word, his face was a blank canvas, his scent carefully controlled to not give anything away.
Theo dragged his feat to his ugly, orange couch he had gleefully bought for Liam and sat down heavily, tipping his head back against the back. Liam didn’t move closer, leaving a few inches of space between them.
Liam tilted his head to look at him, but Theo kept his face pointedly forward. His hair was mussed, although Liam could see Theo’s failed attempts to tame it somehow. He ached to run his hands through the soft strands. He remembered Theo complaining a week ago about how long it had gotten and how he needed to get a haircut. It was an empty threat and they both knew it. Theo liked Liam raking his fingers through his hair just as much as Liam did. Liam could always feel the tension melting out of Theo’s body when he massaged his scalp, tugging at the short hair at the nape of his neck.
But Liam kept his hands firmly by his side, waiting for Theo to make the first move. He couldn’t figure out much from Theo’s chemosignals, although he knew him well enough to figure out what was going on in his head.
For a few minutes, they sat like that in silence. Time felt syrupy, and Liam’s mind wandered without intention. He could feel his phone buzzing against his thigh, but he ignored it. It was probably Mason wondering why he was declining to give any comment on his selfie.
After a few minutes, Theo tentatively rest his head on Liam's shoulder, his hair tickling Liam’s jaw. Liam took that as permission to unclasp Theo’s hands tightened into fists in his lap and hold them in his own. His hands were freezing and Liam rubbed them together trying to warm them up. He doesn’t ask Theo about his nightmare or about his evening stroll as a four-legged creature, Liam had learned the hard way not to push, that holding his tongue is the way to let Theo know he’s safe, to decide whether to speak or not to speak.
Liam could feel Theo’s heartbeat settling down, his hands thawing from the ice blocks they were before. He moved closer and raised his head to look at Liam. His eyes were dull, swirling with thoughts and emotions which Liam could only guess at. Their depths are still hidden from him, shadowed and murky and sometimes, Liam feels grateful for that and then ashamed for feeling grateful.
“You hungry?”
Theo sniffed lightly. “Not if it means eating your chilly for the third night in a row.”
Liam jut his shoulder up to dislodge Theo’s head. “Shut up asshole, you love my chili.”
Theo hummed in denial, and leaned forward, kissing Liam’s head gently. Liam recognized it for what it was. A non-verbal thank you.
Liam turned towards Theo, capturing his chapped lips in a soft kiss. A non-verbal always.
He moved back a little to whisper, “You owe me a new mug.”