Work Text:
When Stiles doesn’t know something, he gets obsessive.
It’s a habit he wishes he didn’t have sometimes, because he clearly cannot know everything, which means that he gets obsessive a lot.
The hyperfixation isn’t something he can control, and sometimes it exhausts him. The energy it takes to figure out every minute detail, find every little puzzle piece (even the ones that are so small and so oddly shaped that even Stiles doesn’t know if they fit the puzzle sometimes), connect every trivial fact that he can find (though most times, it ends up being the trivial facts that somehow aren’t so trivial) is massive. Sometimes, it feels like he’s playing a losing game, dealt all the wrong cards, given the shorter stick, placed in a boxing ring with the biggest, baddest werewolf he can think of. Like he’s doing everything he can to solve the puzzle, but the pieces just don’t fit.
But sometimes, he can’t fight the curiosity. Most times, honestly, he can’t fight the curiosity. But sometimes, it’s different, because he doesn’t want to fight it, sometimes the obsessiveness is interesting, because it opens a whole new world for him. And sometimes, figuring out those minute details, finding those tiny puzzle pieces, connecting those (not so) trivial facts is engaging, is alluring.
Catching that slight spasm of a finger, or hearing that almost silent hitching of breath, or detecting the hint of something in their eye, when they look just a split second too long. It’s satisfying, seeing all those little things add up, adding them to the corkboard in his brain, taking that red string down and putting the green up.
So, when Stiles doesn’t know something, he gets obsessive.
And Theo and Liam just happened to be his latest obsession.
Okay, saying that in his head made it sound weird, but that’s not what Stiles meant. He didn’t mean that Theo and Liam were his obsession, he meant Theo with Liam.
Because Stiles knows Theo.
Stiles has great pride in the fact that he was good at reading people. He has a knack for it, can see their inner workings, can tell with just one look what they were thinking. Which is how he knew immediately, when Theo came back to Beacon Hills last year, that it was not the same Theo Raeken that left nine years ago.
Because Stiles knows Theo.
Stiles knows about the little boy from all those years ago, knows how he used to be one of his closest friends. He knows how that Theo was reserved, so quiet that sometimes you’d forget he was sitting right next to you, even in an empty room. Stiles knows how that Theo was a little nerdy, because he was quiet, unless he was talking about Marvel. Stiles knows how that Theo used to hide when he cried, because one time, Stiles heard Theo’s dad screaming at him that boys don’t cry. Stiles knows a lot of things, things that he had shoved to the back of his mind last year, because if he didn’t, he’d almost forget that that Theo Raeken didn’t exist anymore.
But then the new Theo Raeken went to hell.
And post-hell Theo seemed almost identical to that Theo Raeken. Because sometimes, now that Theo wasn’t an enemy of the pack anymore and Stiles wasn’t obsessively suspicious of his every move, Stiles doesn’t notice Theo in a room anymore, because he’s dead silent. Sometimes, Stiles would catch a little glimpse of a smirk on Theo’s face when Stiles and Mason were arguing about whether Team Cap or Team Ironman was better (Theo never joined though, even though Stiles knew he was dying to argue for the right team, Team Cap, because Theo had always had a soft spot for Bucky Barnes). And sometimes, Theo would be alone in the McCall kitchen after a pack meeting, and Stiles would walk in, and he’d see a hint of wetness in Theo’s eyes. But then he would blink, and it would be gone, and Theo would quietly excuse himself and leave the room.
And Stiles knows Theo, and he knows that Theo was probably thinking of his father’s words from all those years ago, those words that were a lie, and Stiles knows that Theo was probably beating himself up, telling himself that he wasn’t weak, and crying was weak.
Stiles knows that Theo hasn’t cried in years.
Stiles knows Theo more than he sometimes liked to admit, he knows about those days from all those years ago that Theo would wake up in the middle of the night during one of their sleepovers, with wide eyes and uneven breathing. He knows that no matter what Theo went through in hell, nightmares weren’t a new development for him.
Stiles knows Theo, and that’s why he knows that something’s happening.
Because post-hell Theo rarely smiled (it was always a smirk or that half-frown, half-grimace that Stiles now knew meant that Theo was hiding behind the walls he had built up), but he almost did when Liam was around.
The first time it happened, Stiles wasn’t obsessing over them yet, it had been sheer coincidence that he was looking at Theo at that moment, but he was so glad he did, because look where that brought him.
It was during a pack meeting, Scott and Argent droning on and on about Monroe and her recruitment of hunters on the West coast, because apparently, the war she had just fought wasn’t enough for her. Everyone was listening closely, because no matter how tiring it got, they couldn’t afford to not pay attention, or they’d risk losing their lives. Even Theo was listening, though if you didn’t know him, you’d think he wasn’t. His head was tilted down, and his fingers absentmindedly twisted a loose string at the bottom of his sweater as he leaned back against the wall. But Stiles knows Theo, so he knows that he was listening, and he had been about to turn his head back to Scott when it happened.
Scott had just said something about one of Monroe’s hunters having to be knocked out five times by Argent’s contacts for them to get information, and Liam’s head whipped up, turning to Theo.
But Theo was already looking at Liam, with what looked like an amused glint in his eye. And Stiles almost missed it, almost had turned away because Scott was saying something important and he should listen, but then Theo’s lips pulled, lifted up in a small smile that wasn’t a smirk, but an honest-to-god smile.
And Stiles’ eyes moved back and forth between Theo and Liam, because Theo’s smile made Liam glare at him, but Stiles could tell that it wasn’t an actual glare, but one of those fake glares you give someone when you’re pretending to be mad at them but you’re actually laughing inside. And Stiles didn't know why Theo was smiling, or why Liam was fake-glaring, but seeing Theo smile had him reeling.
Theo had been all wide smirks and falsely benign smiles since he came back to Beacon Hills, and small smirks and guarded frowns since he came back from hell, but here he was smiling at Liam.
And that had been the catalyst for Stiles. Theo didn’t smile, but he just did. So, Stiles got obsessive.
And so he paid attention to Theo more and more. And god, the corkboard in his brain was almost covered in the trivial details that he picked up.
Like that time when Mason and Liam were trying to one-up each other in who could reveal the most embarrassing story about the other, and Mason pulled up a picture of middle school Liam with his not-that-long hair pulled in twenty different directions and tied up with hair ties. Liam had flushed brightly, but Theo’s lips had pulled up again, even more than the first time. And Liam didn’t even look at Theo, had just grumbled fuck off and shoved Theo’s shoulder, like he knew exactly what Theo was doing.
Or that other time when everyone was at Scott’s house, a last minute pack lunch in the living room. Theo had been sitting on the floor, his back against the wall as he casually ate his pizza. He was quiet, but these days, that was normal for Theo. And then Liam had plopped down next to him. And if Theo was the stillness of a haunted battlefield, seconds before all hell broke loose, Liam was the ticking bomb that broke it. Liam was loud, asking Theo a question while chewing on a bite of his pepperoni pizza, and if Stiles hadn’t been keenly observing, he would’ve missed it. Liam’s shoulder and thigh brushed Theo’s, just a light graze, and Theo’s right index finger spasmed on his plate. Theo quietly answered Liam’s question, his voice low, and Liam had rolled his eyes and nudged him, this time the touch so much more purposeful. And Theo’s finger had spasmed again.
And that’s when Stiles started noticing that these small, trivial things started to be a lot less trivial, and a lot less subtle.
Like that pack meeting on Theo’s birthday, and the pack had thrown a little party at the end of the meeting, Theo’s surprised face being the highlight of the night. And Melissa being Melissa, had baked a small cake, because Theo wasn’t an enemy anymore, he was pack, and Melissa baked a cake for everyone’s birthdays. And Stiles being Stiles, had swiped a finger across the frosting before wiping it across Theo’s face. Theo’s eyes had gone wide, and he was speechless, but Stiles just laughed along with the rest of the pack. And everyone kept laughing, but then something caught Stiles’ eye. Because Liam had stopped laughing, grabbing a napkin from the table, before wrapping a hand around Theo’s wrist and turning him towards him. And everyone kept laughing, but Stiles watched as Liam leaned in closer, wiping the frosting off of Theo’s cheek, and it was so gentle, Stiles felt like he was intruding on something. And Stiles had been close enough to hear the slight hitch of Theo’s breath as he stared at Liam, his eyes still wide.
Or when the whole pack had gone to the lacrosse game, because they were playing Devenford and Brett wasn’t on the team anymore, had actually transferred to Beacon Hills High after the war, because his pack was gone, and Scott was more than willing to take him and Lori in, but that didn’t mean the other team members forgot about Liam. And they were all sitting on the bleachers, watching as Liam and Nolan moved in sync towards the goal, until one of the Devenford players tackled Liam. Stiles had been sitting in between Scott and Derek, Mason and Theo in front of them. And Theo stiffened when Liam hit the ground. Stiles saw Mason give a knowing look (knowing about what, Stiles didn’t know, which was why he was in this mess in the first place) and nudged his arm lightly. Theo turned to Mason, who cocked an eyebrow, and Theo sighed before standing up and making his way down the stairs. Scott called out to Theo, asking him where he was going, but Theo ignored him, and Mason reassured Scott that he’d be back soon. Stiles’ eyes followed Theo’s back, watching as he reached the sidelines, standing next to Coach. And Stiles was confused because Coach wasn’t saying anything to Theo, which was so out of character for Coach that Stiles was worried. But then his eyes moved back onto the field, and he almost groaned. Liam was breathing heavily, clearly trying to calm himself down after being tackled, but the Devenford player that knocked him down was trying to get in his head, and he kept talking and talking and Stiles didn’t know what he was saying, but he knew it was bad, judging from Liam’s tense shoulders. But then, as suddenly as they stiffened, Liam’s shoulders dropped, his head lifting up. Stiles didn’t know what was happening, but he couldn’t stop staring as Liam took a few more deep breaths, keeping his eyes trained on the sidelines, and that’s when it hit Stiles. The sidelines. Where Theo was. Stiles leaned a little to the right, and Derek gave him a weird look, but he ignored it, keeping his eyes on the side of Theo’s head, until he leaned just enough to see the side of his face, and his prediction had been right. Theo’s lips were moving, barely, but they were moving, and Stiles knew that Theo was talking to Liam and Liam was listening to him. And oh.
The pieces shifted into place, and Stiles had almost fallen off the bench, Derek catching him at the last second and sitting him upright again with a glare, but Stiles had been too caught up in his head to pay him any attention.
Theo was Liam’s anchor.
Liam’s head was still pointed at the sidelines, and Stiles had suddenly realized that Coach still wasn’t saying anything to Theo, and Mason was looking at his best friend with a small smirk on his face. And that was when Stiles had realized that this definitely wasn’t the first time this had happened. Mason had nudged Theo because Liam had gotten angry before, and Mason knew that Theo could calm him down. Coach hadn’t said anything to Theo because he was used to the chimera being on the sidelines, whispering Liam’s name under his breath to calm him down. Liam’s tense shoulders dropped so suddenly because he knew Theo was there, because he had been there before, reeling in Liam’s anger with his words.
And Stiles almost laughed at how oblivious the whole pack was, at how oblivious he had been.
But then, even those things, that weren’t that subtle, became even less subtle.
Theo and Liam would show up to pack meetings together, because apparently Theo was now the beta’s designated driver. The first time they’d walked in together, Scott had given them a weird look and asked if something had happened. Liam’s brows had furrowed, saying no like it was a question, and Scott asked why they had been together then. Theo’s head dropped, hiding his face from the pack’s questioning glances, but Liam had held his head high, glaring at Scott because do I need a reason to hang out with my friend? Theo had stilled, but Liam crossed his arms over his chest angrily and shifted closer to Theo, until their shoulders were touching. Scott dropped the topic and started discussing the whereabouts of Monroe, but Stiles continued watching the two of them, as Liam angled his head towards Theo, nudging him softly until he looked up. The look on Theo’s face was so hesitant, that it made Stiles feel bad for the chimera. Liam’s expression quickly fell, before Stiles saw determination flash through his eyes, and he had grabbed Theo’s hand and dragged him out of the room without an explanation, just calling out that they’d be back in a few minutes. Scott had been confused, as had most of the pack, but not Stiles. Because he was slowly starting to put the puzzle pieces together, and when he looked up, Mason was looking at him with a wry smirk. Because they were the only two who were in on the secret, which wasn’t really a secret, but it might as well have been due to how oblivious the pack was to the whole thing.
The day the pack had found out Theo was homeless was probably the day Stiles had wanted to pull his hair out the most, because Theo and Liam were so far from being subtle, they might as well have had a neon sign flashing above them, but still, the pack didn’t notice. Stiles had been the only one.
It had been a slip on Theo’s part, Scott asking him if he wanted to take the leftover pizza home with him, and Theo had refused, saying he didn’t think he could eat anymore. Scott had kept pushing him to take it, noting that he could just put it in his fridge until he wanted to eat, and five minutes later, Theo had apparently had enough, because he quietly hissed I don’t have a fridge in my truck, Scott. The room had immediately frozen, Liam breaking the silence with a vitriolic what? Theo had stiffened, realizing that everyone had heard him and he stammered for a few seconds before backing up slowly towards the door. Liam had let out a low growl, so guttural that it shook to the bone, and lunged at Theo, slamming him back against the door with his sweater in Liams’ fists. Liam’s voice had been scathing, and Theo had tried to avoid the question, but there was only so much you could do against Liam’s anger, and he eventually gave in and told the pack that he was homeless, had been since he came back from hell.
And Liam, god, Liam.
He had looked up at Theo with the most broken look on his face, his voice cracking as he asked why didn’t you tell me? Theo’s eyes moved across Liam’s face, taking in his guilt and his hurt, and he’d moved his hands up, and wrapped them around Liam’s, that were still holding his sweater hostage, and he apologized. And Stiles just knew that it wasn’t a sorry for not telling Liam that he was homeless, but that it was a sorry for hurting Liam. And maybe those two things were one and the same to Liam (and the rest of the pack, and probably everyone else on the planet), but they didn’t mean the same to Theo. And Stiles could see it on his face that what he cared about was that he had hurt Liam, could see it in his imploring eyes, and Theo Raeken didn’t beg, but he looked pretty fucking close to it right then if it meant Liam wouldn’t be hurting anymore. But Scott being Scott, had broken the moment, asking why Theo hadn’t told the pack, because he was pack, and an argument ensued about where the chimera would stay. Liam was dead set on having him stay at his house, but Scott shut him down, saying that he had an extra room, it would be better to stay at Scott’s house. It had gone back and forth for ten more minutes, before Derek had enough and cut in, saying that there was an empty apartment in his building, and Theo could stay in it, not even having to pay rent. Scott agreed pretty quickly, but Liam had been hesitant, still wanting Theo to stay with him, and at this point, Stiles wanted to scream because how did the pack not notice? Theo had agreed to Derek’s offer, nudging Liam gently, saying that he now had somewhere he could play video games without his parents barging in on him every two minutes. The beta’s face had brightened so quickly, it almost gave Stiles whiplash, and once again, he was this close to ripping out all of his hair, but he managed to hold back the urge. But the puzzle was beginning to take shape in his mind, and Stiles kept watching, because what else could he do when he was so close to figuring it out?
Theo’s apartment became the unofficial Puppy Pack hangout, and it wouldn’t be unusual to find all of them (even Nolan, but a little careful observation on Stiles’ part made it clear that there was a tall blond werewolf reason that the human had joined the pack) there most days when they weren’t in school. But Stiles hadn’t known just how much Theo had become integrated into the Puppy Pack until he was over there one day, discussing strategy with Theo, because there was no one else in the pack that could even come close to Theo’s skills. It had been a Friday afternoon, and Theo and Stiles were bent over a map, plotting the information they had gotten about Monroe and her hunters from some of Argent’s contacts earlier in the day. They were working silently, and it was… tranquil, in a way that Stiles had never expected working with Theo. But then the front door slammed open, and Stiles jumped, but Theo didn’t even flinch.
“If you slam that door open one more time, I’m taking away your key,” Theo had said, not even looking up from the map as Liam and the rest of the Puppy Pack walked in. Liam flipped Theo off, and there was no way Theo saw it, but apparently he had eyes on the top of his head, because he had snorted, immediately saying, “Everyone but Liam gets brownies, they’re in the oven.”
Stiles knew that his eyes probably looked like they were going to pop out of his head at this point, because what the fuck, he knew he had caught the scent of freshly baked brownies, but he thought it was just him going crazy, because why would there be brownies at Theo’s apartment? But apparently he was mistaken, because Theo was not only a talented strategist, but also a pretty fucking good baker, and the Puppy Pack gasped in delight before storming the kitchen. Theo’s sharp no made them freeze, and Theo did nothing but cock an eyebrow before all of them grumbled and went to the bathroom, to wash their hands, because apparently, Theo was their guardian or something now. And this was already too much for Stiles’ brain to handle, but of course Liam didn’t go with the rest of the Puppy Pack, and washed his hands at the sink in the kitchen instead, before turning to Stiles and putting a finger to his lips. Stiles had been so confused, but it was resolved a moment later, when Liam wrapped his freezing cold hand around the back of Theo’s neck. Theo had jerked, whipping around to yank Liam’s hand off.
“How many fucking times do I have to tell you not to do that?” Theo had hissed, and Liam didn’t even look sorry, just quirked his lips up in a teasing smirk.
“Never enough,” the beta had sang, before pulling his hand out of Theo’s grip and opening the oven to grab the brownies. The Puppy Pack had all reentered at this point, and Stiles did nothing but watch as they fought over the brownies, causing chaos in the kitchen, until Theo finally yelled at them to go to the living room or he’d dump all the brownies in the trash.
“Like that would stop us,” Brett had retorted, but they all left the kitchen, hands filled with brownies.
“Since when could you bake? ” Stiles had asked, and maybe it sounded a little rude, but Stiles was honestly just trying to process what the hell the last five minutes were.
“Since all of them started showing up here after school. Have you ever had seven teenagers storm into your house after school, Stiles?” And Stiles shook his head slowly, even though he was sure that had been a rhetorical question. “They’re like zombies, and if I didn’t give them real food, they ate at my brain.” Theo had shuddered, one that was clearly exaggerated for the benefit of the teenagers in the other room, because Liam then yelled an offended fuck you. “Brownies keep their mouths occupied, which means they can’t annoy me at the same time. It works wonders.”
Stiles was reduced to simply gaping at the chimera, who was saying all of this like it was normal, like he hadn’t just shifted Stiles’ entire view of him.
Now, back to one of Stiles’ first points, Theo didn’t smile. But that fact was slowly becoming less and less true, as Stiles had mentioned at the beginning. Not only did Theo smile around Liam, he also began smiling around the entire Puppy Pack too. But they were still small, hesitant smiles, like the chimera was afraid someone would see him, and tell him he didn’t deserve to be happy.
Until that day.
Stiles had known that Liam was a history freak. It wasn’t something he had expected, but once he knew, it just made sense. And they had been in another pack meeting, Scott bringing up one of their plans to confuse the hunters, where they’d use the maze-like structure of the preserve to their advantage, making the hunters run around in circles trying to find the supernaturals.
“... and since it’s like a maze, they’ll get confused, which is exactly what we want. It’ll give the sheriff and my dad time to get here, while they’re still lost, and then we can arrest them, like–”
“Mykonos.” The whole pack had turned to Liam, because he was the history buff, it had to be him, but the beta’s jaw was slightly open, and he was staring at Theo, who had actually been the one to say it. Liam stared for another moment, before a wide grin lit up his face, and he punched Theo’s arm softly.
“You remembered,” the beta had declared, and Theo shrugged, shifting uneasily at all the attention on him.
“I don’t tune you out all of the time,” Theo said with a slight frown on his face, and Liam’s smile grew, and he poked Theo’s cheek, and at this point, the pack was just gaping at the exchange because what the fuck?
“That was a lie,” Liam announced, “Your pulse skipped.” And Stiles didn’t have supernatural senses, but if Theo not tuning him out all the time was a lie, why would Liam be happy that Theo tuned him out all the time, and Stiles processed the words for a few more seconds before it hit him. It wasn’t a lie because Theo tuned Liam out all the time, it was a lie because Theo never tuned him out. Holy shit.
Stiles couldn’t even say he never tuned people, even his closest friends, out. The fact that Theo could was just… well, Stiles was once again this close to screaming at the pack at how unaware they were. Because Liam turned back around, and the pack just went back to business, like nothing had happened, and to them, nothing probably had. But Stiles kept observing them, because maybe it started off as an obsession, but he was genuinely interested in what was happening now. Seeing their interactions was… insane, even for Stiles.
As the rest of the pack went back to Monroe and hunters, Stiles watched as Liam moved closer to Theo, not even bothering to be subtle about it anymore like he used to. And Theo wasn’t subtle about it either, unconsciously leaning into the touch, and Liam’s ear-to ear grin got impossibly wider. And remember how Stiles had said Theo’s smiles were always small and hesitant? Well, not any-fucking-more, because right there on Theo’s face was one of the softest smiles Stiles had ever seen. His lips were pulled up, and he quickly turned his head to look at Liam, his smile broadening, but still being fucking soft, before turning back to face the center of the room again. Stiles had honestly wished he could take a picture, because he didn’t think he’d ever see Theo smile like that again.
But as Liam’s hand brushed Theo’s, Stiles had realized that maybe, just maybe, that wasn’t so true.
And all of those moments, those not so trivial details, those not so subtle touches, all of it that had been collected in Stiles’ brain, led him here. Stiles knew something was happening between them, it was obvious now, well, apparently only to him (and maybe Mason), but he didn’t need anyone else’s input on this– there was something between them and it was real. But then things took a turn.
Scott, Derek, and Theo had gone to the preserve, to carry out their Mykonos plan, leaving the rest of the pack at Scott’s house, waiting nervously. If this worked, then over half of Monroe’s hunters would be in custody, and that would completely change the tide of the fight. It was an anxiety-inducing hour, everyone on edge as they waited, because as much as it could go right, it could go wrong.
The front door flung open, and Liam gasped at the sight. Theo had one arm around Scott and Derek’s shoulders, the latter two practically carrying him in, and they gently laid him on the sofa.
“It worked,” Derek informed, but no one was paying attention to that, just Theo.
“Theo, what the fuck,” Liam snarled, kneeling down next to the chimera, and Theo smiled weakly.
“M’fine, just got hit by a couple of bullets,” Theo said softly, but Liam wasn’t satisfied with that horrible answer. The beta wrapped a hand around Theo’s wrist, siphoning pain, and Theo immediately relaxed, his lips pulling up into a loose smile.
Derek knelt next to Liam, digging his claws into the chimera to remove the bullets, and a cry left Theo’s lips at the sensation. Stiles winced, because that sounded painful, and he’s been a part of this world for a while now, but seeing that still affected him. Liam whispered something to Theo, and he brought his other hand up to Theo’s hair, carding through it gently, siphoning pain with that hand too.
Liam continued murmuring, his forehead resting on Theo’s shoulder as the chimera released a shaky breath, which turned into a startled choke when Derek started to burn the wolfsbane out. Stiles knew that Theo was used to pain, which was not okay by any means, but it confused him why these bullets were affecting him so much.
The answer didn’t come until a minute later, when Derek finished, and everyone sagged in relief, until Liam yelped.
“He’s not healing,” Liam barked out, “Why isn’t he healing? ”
And Liam was right– the chimera’s wounds weren’t closing, though the bullets were gone.
“Theo, you need to heal,” Liam pressed, and Theo’s eyes were fluttering, almost drifting close. “Don’t close your eyes, Theo, heal.”
Theo’s body wasn’t healing, no matter how much pain Liam was taking from him. Scott was on the phone with Deaton, asking him if he’d seen anything like this before, and Stiles caught the tail end of the conversation, enough to know that whatever wolfsbane was on the bullets, it was one they hadn’t seen before. One that affected them even after being burned out.
“Scott,” Liam gritted from his teeth, “What’s happening? ”
Scott sighed, and Stiles knew that his best friend was exhausted, they all were, but it was the price they paid for being part of this world. “Deaton’s coming, he said he might have an antidote, but we need to keep him awake.”
“Might? ” Mason asked in a strangled voice, and the rest of the Puppy Pack looked just as outraged.
Scott tried talking to them, but Stiles wasn’t listening anymore, watching Liam and Theo instead.
“Theo, stay awake, please,” Liam pleaded, and despite the pain wracking through his body, the chimera’s lips quirked up.
“Okay,” Theo whispered, his voice so drained, “Talk, about… anything.”
Liam kept his hands on Theo’s hair and wrist, gently siphoning pain as he started talking. “You know those brownies you made last week? I told you I was giving them to my mom, but I might’ve eaten most of them.” Despite the words sounding like a confession, Liam’s voice was anything but apologetic, and Theo chuckled weakly. “And Alec told me how you helped him with his bio homework, which is completely not fair, because you never help me with my homework.” And Liam kept talking and talking and talking, switching from topic to topic, and Theo listened, his eyes focused on Liam.
“Deaton’s almost here,” Scott called out, but neither of them acknowledged it, too caught up in their own little bubble. At this point, the pack was finally starting to notice their intimacy, and if the situation had been any different, Stiles would’ve yelled at them for being the most oblivious people he’d ever met.
“And remember that day, back in the elevator?” Liam was saying, when Stiles tuned back into their conversation.
“Which,” Theo wheezed, and Liam’s hands tightened, “one?”
“I said I wouldn’t die for you, remember?” Liam asked, his voice so gentle, Stiles felt like he was intruding on something again, a feeling that he was starting to realize was becoming more and more common with these two. “That was a lie.”
Theo inhaled sharply, and Stiles didn’t know if it was from the pain or the admission, but he could take a pretty good guess on which one it was. The chimera’s eyes locked onto Liam’s. “I was… lying too. I’d… die for you, Liam.”
Stiles thought he saw a tear make its way down Theo’s cheek, and he turned away. He had been watching them for a while now, trying to figure out what was happening, but this was too intimate. Stiles felt like he was cutting them open, seeing them in their most vulnerable states, and he couldn’t do it anymore. He turned to Scott, about to ask him where the fuck Deaton was when the door pushed open, Deaton hastily walking in with a bottle in his hand.
“This should work,” the druid rushed out, making his way to Theo. “Theo, drink this.”
And Theo was about to reach for the bottle when Liam smacked his hand away, grabbing it from Deaton instead. “You are bleeding out from eight different places, and you think I’m gonna let you move any more than you have to?” Liam asked, opening the bottle hurriedly. “You’re such an asshole.”
There was a smile on Theo’s face as Liam lifted the bottle to his lips, but it immediately dropped when he tasted the liquid. Deaton noticed his disgusted expression, and gave him a pointed look. “Yes, I know its taste leaves a lot to be desired, but you must drink all of it.”
Theo grimaced, but slowly finished the antidote, Liam throwing the bottle on the sofa when he was done. The beta pushed Theo’s hair out of his face, staring desperately at the wounds on his body.
The room was quiet as everyone held their breath, but finally, the holes started closing. Liam’s exhale was deafening, but the others’ were just as relieved, and Theo regained enough strength to sit up on the sofa.
“Oh my god,” Liam blurted out, not even giving Theo a chance to say anything before lunging forward to wrap his arms around the chimera’s body. “You pull something like this again and I’m making you do all of my bio homework.”
Theo’s laugh was loud, and so fond that Stiles turned to the rest of the pack, seeing if they finally pulled their heads out of their little bubbles to see what had been happening for a while now. The Puppy Pack all had a wide array of grins and smirks on their faces, and Stiles could tell at least they had known something. Derek was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, with an indiscernible look in his eye as he watched the two boys. Malia rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything else. Lydia had a faint smile on her lips, like she had known something, and Stiles was suddenly baffled why he hadn’t talked to her about all of this, because clearly, she saw the signs too. And Scott was staring at Liam and Theo with wide eyes, because he’d been distracted this whole time, hadn’t seen the quiet whispers and affection that everyone else had, and Stiles almost laughed at the bewildered expression on his best friend’s face.
Liam pulled away from Theo, though not that far, and Stiles took great pride in being able to read people, so he saw it coming before it happened, and he had a lopsided grin on his face when Liam finally pressed his lips to Theo, the latter’s eyes widening in surprise for a split second before closing, and the chimera pressed back just as hard.
Scott’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head, and he turned to Stiles with an open jaw. “Did you know about this?” the alpha whispered, his head turning back to the two supernaturals that were still on the couch, thankfully not making out anymore, but just looking at each other with those stupid smiles that they only got around each other.
Stiles stared at them for a moment before he turned to Scott, who seemed as if he was still trying to process everything.
“It was obvious, Scott, you just had to pay attention to the details.”