Chapter Text
The day started like any other one would.
From somewhere in the front seat, the alarm set on his phone went off telling him it’s time to wake up. As if he hadn’t already been awake since he startled into consciousness from a nightmare. So really he’d only been lying awake, staring at the ceiling of the cab of his truck for about three hours.
When his phone buzzed an additional time Theo finally gained the strength to haul himself through the two front seats in search of his phone to silence it. Once he’d canceled the alarm he checked his notifications. As if he didn’t already know who’s texted him.
6:45 pack meeting tonight
6:47 Scott wanted me to tell you so
Of course he did.
6:57 pick me up from school?
7:00 see you later
Of course he will.
Everyone Theo opens his and Liam’s texting thread he laughs a little bitter laugh.
Theo rarely responds to any texts Liam sends him, but he doesn’t stop because he knows Theo reads them. He doesn’t need Theo to tell him that he’ll pick him up from school because he knows Theo will anyway. Most of the texts liam sends him are asking him for a ride. If Liam doesn’t ask, Theo won’t pick him up. He learned that the hard way after sitting in front of the high school for almost an hour. Liam had a colorful speech for Theo after that but they came to a compromise.
Theo locked his phone and slumped back into the back seat, the thin blanket he’d been using since Liam all but dug him up from the ground had fallen to pool around his waist when he’d reached for his phone. It was slightly damp from sweat, a remnant of his nightmares during the few hours he’d actually been asleep. Guess it’s laundry day, Theo thought. If he had enough quarters for the machines, that is.
Theo checked his phone when he’d gotten the second- and last- load into the dryer, 1:40, Liam gets let out at two.
His phone buzzed in his hand, something he hadn’t expected until the final bell at least.
1:43 want me to get you something from the cafeteria?
Just this one time, Theo answered.
1:44 No.
Liam didn’t respond and Theo figured he wouldn’t.
He’d just scraped by with the laundry machines, choosing to use two instead of just one like he normally did. He wanted to make sure he couldn’t smell the scent of his one fear on his clothes, though that didn’t help the entire inside of his truck. He’d just have to keep the windows down when he picked up Liam and hope that was enough.
Once he’d stuffed his newly washed clothes into his duffle bag and shoved it under the back seat, he put the truck in drive and drove to Liam’s school earlier than normal.
Theo wouldn’t admit to being nervous but he was wary of being in an inclosed space with almost a full pack of people that wish he’d never gotten out of the ground.
And he’s accepted that, he won’t pretend like he didn’t do what he did and how they feel isn’t justified. Because he did and it is.
Only a hand full of people actually want him there.
The puppy pack and Scott. Liam.
It didn’t matter how many of them want him there, not really. Not if the Alpha’s best friend and girlfriend don’t. They have his ear, he won’t risk his entire pack just because some of the youngest members either forgave him or simply don’t realize the impact of what he did to Scott, to the rest of them.
Theo swerved an oncoming car because he’d gotten in their lane, he’d been doing that more and more lately. Getting stuck in his head, not realizing what he’d been doing.
He pulled up to the high school just in time to see Liam, Corey and Mason walk out of a side door toward the lacrosse field. The former two in lacrosse pads and jerseys.
That little shit.
Theo turned his truck off and grabbed his phone from the passenger seat.
It ring twice in the time Theo watched Liam rummage around in his gear bag to retrieve his one phone. Theo knew the moment Liam read his name on the caller ID because the smile that split across his face made his stomach turn.
The smile lingered when he pressed answer and held the phone to his ear, “Hey, Theo.”
He saw Mason and Corey’s steps falter when they heard Liam say his name, they paused to wait for him because apparently Liam can’t walk and talk on the phone at the same time. He waved them off and they shrugged before continuing towards the lacrosse field.
“Liam.”
“Yes?” Liam was fiddling with his duffle bag strap.
“Liam, why didn’t you tell me you had practice today?”
Liam turned around quickly, whipping his head this way and that trying to figure out just how Theo knew that I’d he hadn’t told him this morning. “Um, I forgot?” He said distractedly, still turning around and scanning the parking lot.
“Mhm.”
The moment they made eye contact through Theo’s front windshield, Liam lifted a hand to wave to him at the same time he took a step forward as if to walk to Theo and get in the truck. Then he’d remembered he still had practice and he couldn’t just leave.
“We’ll now that you’re here…”
“Liam-”
“Maybe you could come watch?”
“Liam,” Theo said again, lifting a hand to rub at the bridge of his nose.
“What? Come on, Theo, you’re already here.”
Theo sighs, “Yes because I thought you didn’t have practice today.”
Liam all but stomps his foot on the ground, “It’s not as if you have anything else to do. Do you have work?”
Theo did in fact not have work, that was beginning to become a problem for him. Kind of hard to figure out when you’re legally dead though.
“No, Liam,” Theo was already unbuckling and grabbing his keys from the ignition, “I do not have work.”
They had still not hung up by the time Theo stepped up onto the concrete sidewalk that Liam still waited for him on. They probably looked ridiculous, both of them standing there and staring at each other with phones held to their ears in a mirrored position.
Liam refused to hang up first, grinning up at Theo from a couple inches in front of him. So Theo did and as soon as the call disconnected Liam pouted and and fake stormed off toward the lacrosse field and Theo had no choice but to follow.
Theo noticed the stares he got as he headed towards the bleachers to wait out the practice, he’d grabbed a book from his truck when he’d left it before going to Liam. An old, worn out thing, you could barely read the title off the cover anymore, but that didn’t matter to Theo. It was one of the only things he’d kept from his head with the Dread Doctors, he didn’t know how many night he’d stayed awake, flashlight on under the covers and reading that book cover to cover over and over.
It was the only escape he’d had, the only thing keeping him him sinking beneath the waves of insanity.
A hand caught his wrist before he could get far and he turned around the find Liam, down on one knee with a hand behind his back. Theo was so taken aback that it took him too long to find his composure and keep his chemo signals in check.
He heard Corey choke on water somewhere to his right.
He looked at Liam and raised an unimpressed eyebrow at his shit-eating grin. The grin only widened and Theo knew he failed.
Liam readjusted his grip and slid his hand down to cup Theo’s palm against his own, “Theo?”
“What?” What the hell is happening?
“I just wanted to give you this,” Liam brought his right hand from behind his back, he held a sandwich in cling wrap.
Theo resisted the urge to smile, “I thought I told you not to.”
“Since when do I listen to you?”
God. This one is going to be the death of him.
“You will if you know what’s good for you,” he didn’t want to remove his hand, nor just yet.
Liam offered the sandwich to him, he took it. Liam smiled in triumph and leaned forward slightly.
Theo’s breath hitched when Liam pressed his lips, just barely to his knuckles, but he’d deny it to his dying day. Well maybe not that long.
Now Theo removed his hand and shoved Liam back by his forehead, not harshly, not roughly, like maybe he should have.
“You’re a dumbass, go to practice.”
Liam got up and stood straight, he raised his hand and saluted Theo before marching over to his team who Theo assumed were far passed done with Liam’s antics.
“You salute with your right hand!” Theo called after him.
Liam threw a charming smile at him over his shoulder and Theo rolled his eyes before turning around and heading to where he’d originally been going, sandwich still in hand.
He opened his book to his bookmark, careful with the delicate, fragile pages and unwound the cling wrap from the sandwich. Immediately his stomach growled at the smell of turkey and cheese, this didn’t come from the school cafeteria. This came from Liam’s lunch he’d bright from home.
Theo’s going to kick his ass, after he finishes the sandwich.
He found his place in the chapter and began reading only for his ears to perk up at the hiss of Mason’s voice, attempting to be quiet.
“Did you just kiss Theo?”
“It was his hand.”
“But you kissed him,” Corey pointed out.
“So what?”
“‘So what’? So what, he didn’t maul you to death. That’s ‘so what’,” Mason unintentionally pitched his voice up.
Theo scoffed internally, if he made any noise now they’d know he was listening.
There was a pause and Theo kept his eyes firmly on the book I’m his lap, though the words were beginning to blur together.
“I don’t see the problem.”
Corey sounded tired, “Of course you wouldn’t, you’re in-“
“Dumbar, Bryant! Get your asses on the field!”
Theo thought maybe he should be grateful that he didn’t hear the rest of that sentence.
The selfish part of him wishes he had.