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“Liam, you still have school,” Scott says, looking utterly exhausted as he turns to his beta to continue the debate they’ve been having for the last ten minutes. Malia knows her boyfriend isn’t the type to snap, but at the moment, he looks like he's a few seconds away from completely losing his patience. “You can’t just leave.”
Malia watches as Theo lets out a small sigh when Liam’s eyes flash. “I’m the beta,” Liam hisses. “I should be there with you. You can’t just leave me here.”
Scott’s eyes dart to Theo, and Malia is a little confused about why, but he looks back at Liam quick enough that Malia thinks she might’ve just imagined it. “No,” the alpha reaffirms firmly. “We’ll be back before you know it, okay? It’s just a quick meeting with the Reitan pack to exchange information about Monroe.”
“But—” Liam pauses when Theo turns to him, raising an eyebrow. Theo’s eyes narrow, and they just—just stare at each other for a minute. Malia’s own eyes squint as she watches them, watches a myriad of emotions play out on Liam’s face before the beta finally relents with a scowl. “Fine,” the beta acquiesces, crossing his arms over his chest, and Malia can’t say she’s not a little surprised at how quickly he agreed.
Scott looks taken aback, clearly not expecting Liam to go down without a bigger fight either, but he nods, relief coloring his face. “Okay,” he breathes out, cocking his head to where the older pack is standing. “We’re leaving tomorrow morning. And Theo,” Scott adds, and the chimera’s head snaps up. “You can come, right?”
And for a moment, Malia just… studies. She’s not the best in social situations, she knows that, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t know how to read people. Cataloguing chemosignals, catching the slightest facial movements, Malia knows how to look at someone and see things that aren’t spoken. And right now, there are about a million unsaid things happening with Theo. Or more like with Theo and Liam.
Like the way Liam tenses ever so slightly, so sudden, so subtle, that Malia almost doesn’t see it, but she does because Theo does. The chimera’s head turns a little to the right, and Malia can see the way his eyes glance at Liam for a split-second, widening minutely. The tension in the air is palpable, though it’s a little disconcerting to see the beta and the chimera speak volumes with just their eyes.
There’s a microscopic shift, and Liam’s shoulder is now in contact with Theo’s. The chimera blinks once but doesn’t look at Liam again. Instead, turning to Scott with a stoic expression on his face. “Yeah.”
Scott glances between Theo and Liam for a second before giving Theo a small nod with a faint smile. “Good,” and it’s said so decisively, so definitely, that Malia suddenly wonders when the chimera had become so integrated into the pack. Scott’s smile falters for a moment, looking at Stiles. “We can’t take the Jeep; there’s not enough spa—”
“I can drive,” Theo cuts in, and Scott’s brows furrow.
“Are you sur—”
“I can drive, Scott,” Theo repeats, sounding a little exasperated, which isn’t that strange, considering who Theo is. But what is strange is the way Liam’s lips twitch momentarily like he’s holding back a grin, and Malia can’t figure out why.
“Okay,” Scott says slowly, and there’s an awkward silence for a few seconds before Brett nudges Theo from the other side and lifts a brow.
Theo rolls his eyes and gives everyone a quick two-fingered salute. “See you tomorrow,” he drawls and makes his way out of the house, soon followed by the rest of the younger members of the pack.
Malia is quiet for a minute, thinking about the weird connection Theo and Liam seem to have because they were having an entire conversation without actually talking, and Malia knows that she’s seen a lot of weird things over the years, but that might just take the trophy.
“So,” Stiles says when it’s just the older pack in the room, “You all saw that too, right?”
Malia snorts, exchanging a glance with Lydia. The banshee looks just as amused but doesn’t say anything. Scott shakes his head in disbelief, or maybe just fatigue, because he looks like he wants to just head upstairs and collapse on the bed.
No one answers Stiles, although the human seems to get that it’s gonna be one of those things that’s just there, and everyone knows, but no one’s gonna talk about it.
Malia wonders how long that will last.
---
Theo looks surprisingly well-rested the next morning, though he’s the only one. Maybe because it’s six in the morning, and Malia—and everyone else—wishes she could just crawl back into a warm bed instead of the cold leather seat in Theo’s truck.
“How the fuck are you so awake?” Stiles grumbles as he slides in after Lydia into the backseat, and Malia sees Theo roll his eyes in the rearview mirror as he starts driving.
“You all not being morning people makes so much sense,” Theo drawls, and his eyes flicker to Lydia in the mirror. “Except you.”
Lydia smirks faintly, running her hands through her hair to split it in the middle and place it over her shoulders. “What about Scott?”
Theo takes one look at the alpha sitting next to him and smirks. “Scott used to hide under the covers when his mom came in the room to wake him up when he was younger. I know that he’s not a morning person.”
Scott lifts his head up from where he was resting it against his hand and stares at Theo. “You remember that?”
Theo’s amusement falters a little, and he faces forward again, keeping his eyes solely on the road. “Yeah.”
Silence falls in the truck, and Malia meets Lydia’s eyes, both of them wary. Next to them, Stiles looks a little less groggy, his eyes darting between Theo and Scott in the front as his mouth pulls into a straight line. The mention of their intertwined past clearly leaves all three of them a little shaken up, and Malia’s nose wrinkles as Stiles’ scent wavers through emotion after emotion.
But it doesn’t get too awkward, mostly because Scott and Stiles both fall asleep a short while later. Lydia and Theo start up a quiet conversation about some new, apparently revolutionary technology that’s somehow related to biology, but Malia can’t be bothered to pay attention.
She doesn’t know when exactly she drifts off, but her eyes open some indistinguishable time later to see Theo kill the engine. Everyone else is already awake, Scott and Stiles chatting about the Reitan pack members while Lydia quietly scrolls on her phone.
“Hey,” Theo says, getting their attention. “If you want food, go now. And if you’re not back by the time the tank’s full, I’m leaving without you.”
Stiles flips him off as he pushes the door open, the rest of them following him, their limbs aching a little as they stretch them out. Malia walks with Scott into the small store next to the gas station, her nose scrunching at the ashy smell of cigarettes that hits her as they enter. Of course Theo had to stop at the shadiest gas station he could find.
It doesn’t take the four of them as long as Malia thought it would to grab a shit ton of various snacks and drinks, and by the time they get back, Theo’s leaning against the truck as he holds his phone up to his ear.
“…iam, you’re a complete disaster,” Theo says, a smirk on his face, but it’s a lot fonder than the ones that had been aimed at them, Malia realizes. “I don’t know how the fuck Jenna and David still put up with you.”
Theo moves off the door when he sees them, letting Scott open the back door and dump all the food there, while Malia inconspicuously tunes her hearing to hear the other side of the conversation.
“Fuck you,” Liam whines, “I called you to help, not make fun of me. Why the hell did Mom and David have to go on a cruise now?”
And Theo actually laughs. Malia’s brows raise in surprise, and she sees Stiles and Scott turn to him. “I don’t know how you want me to help,” Theo says, smothering another laugh. “I know you think I know everything, but this is the first time I’ve heard of someone trying to use the stove to make a toaster strudel. And somehow burns it in the process.”
“You’re an asshole,” Liam hisses through the phone, and Theo smiles, like he’s proud of the title. And Malia has to hold back her own smirk at hearing what mess Liam got himself into. “I’m calling Mason.”
“You do that,” Theo retorts, pulling the nozzle out of his truck and slamming the hatch shut. Malia thinks that’s the end of the conversation, but then she sees something flash on Theo’s face so quickly that she doesn’t even have time to interpret it. “And Liam?” Theo begins, his lips twitching ever so slightly. Malia hears the beta fall silent and keeps her hearing tuned in as she slides back into the truck. “There’s pasta in the fridge.”
“Oh,” Liam blurts out, and there’s an inflection in his voice that Malia can’t place. “Thanks, Theo.”
The chimera makes his way into the driver’s seat again, his eyes darting to the rearview mirror for a split second. “Don’t burn it in the microwave,” he replies, his hesitant expression morphing into stifled amusement as the beta starts cursing at him again. Theo starts the truck, avoiding everyone’s not-so-subtle gazes as he pulls away from the gas station, quietly listening to Liam’s annoyed complaints.
Malia turns to Stiles, and the resigned look on the human’s face confirms exactly what she’s thinking—Theo and Liam are apparently a lot closer than they had thought, and judging from the way Theo’s pressing his lips together hard to stifle a grin, there’s nothing any of them can do about it.
---
“You noticed Theo today, didn’t you?” Malia asks Scott quietly in their motel room, and the alpha purses his lips for a second before nodding as he drops his backpack on the ground. “When did that even happen?”
Scott sighs, dropping down onto the bed. “We knew he was close to the Puppy Pack. We’ve honestly known that for a while now. It’s not that surprising to find out he’s close with Liam, is it? Considering that Theo lives with him?”
Malia huffs, diving under the blankets. “Guess not,” she says reluctantly, although she’s not that happy about it. “You hear Liam after Theo told him about the pasta?” Scott throws an arm around her, pulling her closer as he hums. Malia twists around to get comfortable, finally setting on placing her head on his chest. “There was something in his voice, I couldn’t figure out what it was, and it’s been bothering me all day.”
“Yeah.” The bed creaks as Scott shuffles down a little, resting his chin gently on top of her head. “I heard it too,” he continues, and Malia can picture his expression, with that line between his brows and his wide eyes. “But it’s something Theo has to figure out, not us.”
Malia’s silent for a few minutes, mulling over his words. “Scott, do you think they—”
“Sleep, Malia.”
She scowls into his chest but doesn’t talk again, slowly drifting off as she feels Scott rub small circles on her shoulder over and over.
---
“You’re the chimera,” the alpha of the Reitan pack declares an hour into their conversation, her head tilting slightly as she studies Theo. Her face reveals nothing, and despite her short stature, she exudes a level of importance that Malia has never felt before, and it makes her wary. “The one with the Dread Doctors.”
Theo stiffens, something that doesn’t go unnoticed by anyone, and Scott gives the chimera a wary glance. But Theo doesn’t react in the way they expect him to—he just nods once with a blank face, and the only evidence of his discomfort that Malia can see is his tense shoulders.
“Monroe was last seen here,” Stiles interjects, his head hanging over the map on the table in the middle of the room, but Malia can see the way his mouth tightens. And if Theo is surprised that Stiles is for some reason coming to his rescue, he doesn’t show it, just as poker-faced as always. “Which starts to edge into your territory.”
The alpha—Heidi, Malia finds out later—gives Theo one last look before turning to Stiles. “We don’t take kindly to anyone trying to wage a war against us,” she states firmly, and out of the corner of her eye, Malia catches the way some of the other members of the Reitan pack glance at Theo. “We want her gone as much as you do, true alpha,” she says, addressing Scott.
Scott straightens, clearing his throat softly. “That’s,” he falters, but continues after a second. “That’s good. We—we know what it’s like when she gets inside people’s heads, and we don’t want that happening anywhere else.”
Heidi nods, giving Scott an approving look. “It’s interesting,” she announces, “We’ve never seen a pack quite like yours. Werewolves, banshee, werecoyote, chimeras, and humans all working together; it’s certainly not common. I’ve heard you even have a kanima and a kitsune.”
“Yeah.” Scott lets out a short laugh, more nervous than anything else. “After everything we’ve been through, it seemed kind of pointless to exclude anyone.” Malia feels the way Theo’s scent dips momentarily before completely disappearing. And it’s a little irritating—the way the chimera can hide everything in a blink of an eye, especially when Malia is so used to reading people using chemosignals. Scott’s face spasms, like he’s trying to stop himself from looking at Theo, and he speaks up again. “And in a town like Beacon Hills, we need all the help we can get.”
Theo’s lips quirk up into a crooked, bitter smirk, but he tilts his head down and hides it, and Malia tunes back into the conversation between the two alphas.
“I presume you have somewhere to stay for the night before you head back?” Heidi asks, and Scott nods quickly. “Very well,” she continues, “Until next time, true alpha.” She tilts her head down slightly in acknowledgement, Scott copying her, before walking out of the room. One of her betas—a tall, dark-haired woman that is a carbon-copy of the alpha—gestures to them, leading them out of the building.
When all of them are back in Theo’s truck, Malia exhales, slumping into the seat. Stiles’ eyes are glued on Theo, and the chimera seems to be aware of it because he doesn’t drop his mask, and keeps his face frustratingly blank.
The ride back to the motel is nearly silent, save for the occasional quip from Stiles. But Malia can see the way Theo’s almost completely lost in thought, and she isn’t even sure that he’s aware enough to be driving, which should probably scare her more than it does. Scott forces all of them into their room when they enter the motel, not letting Theo venture off into his room alone.
They had stopped to pick up some burgers on their way back, and all five of them eat them quietly as the sun starts to go down over the trees in the distance. And Malia knows that Scott wants to talk, knows that he’s dying to say something to Theo, anything at this point, but the chimera’s impassive front makes it hard for any of them to do anything.
And then Theo’s phone starts buzzing.
It’s spread out at first, a quiet murmur every few minutes, but then it doesn’t stop. Theo sighs and digs his phone out of his pocket, his brows furrowing when he looks at the screen. Stiles and Lydia are both watching him carefully, and Malia starts to realize that something’s happening, judging from the way Theo nearly jumps out of his skin when a call comes through.
“Mason?” Theo asks after picking it up. “Why the hell are you cal—”
Theo goes quiet.
His eyes flicker up towards Scott, and he seems to be trying to make a decision in his head. But then Malia hears the Facetime ringtone on the phone, and Theo curses softly, dropping his sandwich onto the table.
“What happened?” Theo questions as soon as Mason’s face pops up, and all of them are silent now, exchanging quick glances around the room as Theo stands up.
Malia hears Mason breathing heavily, and she realizes that the human is running. Scott tenses, but Lydia places a hand on his arm, shaking her head subtly as she stares at Theo. “Devenford,” Mason pants, and Theo stills, moving a little further away from them, nearing the bathroom. “It’s not good, dude.”
Theo looks over at them again, but he turns away just as fast, tilting his head down at Mason. “Did Corey—”
“Didn’t work,” Mason replies before Theo even finishes, and Malia cocks her head, trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle. “Theo—”
“Give him the phone,” Theo breathes out, leaning against the wall next to the bathroom, and there’s some shuffling on the other side before Malia hears a low growl.
“Liam,” Theo starts, and that’s when everything clicks in Malia’s head, and she didn’t know how she didn’t figure it out earlier. “Liam, breathe.”
Scott’s face contorts, and he goes to stand up, but Stiles puts a hand on his shoulder. “Wait,” the human mutters, “Just wait for a second.” Scott looks annoyed, but he listens, his shoulders staying tense as he keeps his eyes on Theo.
“They’re all assholes,” Liam snarls through the phone, and Malia can imagine the beta’s eyes flashing gold, can hear the way Liam’s barely in control. “Theo, they—”
“I know,” Theo says, and it’s so soft, so unprovoking, that Malia pauses for a moment, trying to reconcile the Theo she knows with the Theo standing in front of her in her head. “Liam, I know, but you gotta stay in control.”
Despite Theo’s soothing words, his posture is the complete opposite, the hand not holding his phone clenched by his side and his shoulders stiff. And for once, the chimera’s not controlling his chemosignals because Malia can smell the apprehension rolling off of him in waves.
“I—I can’t,” Liam pants, and Theo’s body goes rigid.
“Liam, listen to me,” Theo rushes out, his eyes almost wild, “You need to calm down, you need to…” Theo trails off when Stiles accidentally hits his elbow on the table, and he turns to the four of them, like he was just realizing that they were there. And that’s all the warning they get before Theo pulls the door open, and it falls shut loudly, but they can still hear Theo’s words as they get quieter and quieter. “You were supposed to keep the hoodie with you…”
When they can’t hear him anymore, a heavy silence settles in the room. Scott is still agitated, while Stiles and Lydia are looking at each other, communicating something with their eyes that Malia can’t understand.
“They’re anchors,” Lydia states after Stiles nods, and Scott and Malia both turn towards her. The banshee grabs a napkin and wipes her hands delicately, tilting her head to the side as she stares off into space. “It’s so obvious,” Lydia says in a low voice, “that I can’t believe we didn’t notice.”
Scott exhales, a little bit of his tension fading away as he sinks back into his chair. “Theo is Liam’s anchor?”
“Yes,” Stiles declares firmly before looking down at his hands, fidgeting in his lap. There’s thoughts flashing by on his face faster than Malia can read them, but he eventually lifts his head to look at Scott, a hesitant expression settling on his face. “But Liam is Theo’s, too.”
Malia snorts, and they all turn to her. “Yeah, right,” she drawls, rolling her eyes a little, “The little, angry beta is Theo’s anchor.”
Lydia smiles calmly, and Malia falters because she knows Lydia, and she knows that the banshee is rarely, if ever, wrong about things like this. “It’s not that weird, now that I think about it,” Lydia says, her eyes darting from Malia to Stiles to Scott. “Who’s always been the one to somehow get Liam to calm down since the war? Maybe even before the war? And who’s the one that always stands next to Theo, the one that finds a way to be close enough for their shoulders to brush? When Theo’s standing alone in a corner during pack meetings, who’s the one that goes over to him?”
Malia’s mind is racing, quick flashes of memories running through as she contemplates Lydia’s words. How could all of them have been so oblivious?
“Huh,” Scott lets out, and Malia’s lips twitch up into a small, amused grin at her boyfriend’s loss of words.
---
“Theo—”
“Nope, not doing this,” Theo cuts Scott off, and Malia lets out a snort as they all get into Theo’s truck to start the journey back to Beacon Hills.
Scott sighs, and Malia can’t help but admire his never-ending patience when it comes to this pack because she knows that if it were her, she would’ve exploded years ago. “I just want to—”
Theo’s phone rings, and the chimera glances to the side and groans. He doesn’t pick it up, but Stiles, as childish as always, reaches forwards and grabs it from the cupholder.
“Hey, Liam,” Stiles answers, putting it on speakerphone. “What’s up?”
The chimera snarls, haphazardly reaching around to try and grab his phone, but Stiles leans out of his reach. Malia lets a slight smirk pull at her lips as she watches Theo get increasingly frustrated at the human but eventually resign himself to his fate and put both of his hands back on the wheel.
“Stiles?” Liam asks, his voice a little muffled. “Where’s Theo?”
“He’s right here,” the human responds, moving the phone a little closer to the chimera. “Say hi, Theo.”
“Fuck you.”
Liam snickers, and even Scott looks a little amused, although Malia can tell he’s still a little annoyed that Theo cut their conversation off before it could even start. “Give him the phone, Stiles,” Liam says after his laughter dies down, and it gives Malia a jarring sense of deja vu from last night, when Theo had said the exact same thing.
“Theo.”
“What?” Theo snaps, and Malia can hear Liam shuffling around for a moment.
“Thanks.”
Malia hides a smirk at Theo’s surprised expression, and the chimera blinks a few times before clearing his throat quietly. “Did you really have to call me for that?” he questions, and his tone is a little mocking, but after Malia exchanges a glance with Lydia, she knows she wasn’t just imagining the fondness in his voice.
“Yeah,” Liam says, and it’s so fucking soft that Malia wants to gag. Stiles seems to be thinking along the same lines, because his face twists up in what looks like disgust, though he keeps holding the phone close to Theo. A faint blush dusts Theo’s cheeks, but it disappears so quickly that Malia almost wishes she took a picture to have blackmail on the chimera. “Thanks for staying up until I—”
“Okay,” Theo cuts Liam off, and Malia’s eyes widen, wanting Liam to continue. “Bye, Liam.”
The smile on Liam’s face is so evident—despite the fact that Malia can’t even see him—as he lets out a quiet “Bye, Theo,” and hangs up the phone.
The truck is quiet again for a few moments and, then—
“If any of you say a fucking word,” Theo threatens, and the tension breaks instantly, Malia snorting loudly as Stiles starts to snicker. Lydia has a small smile on her face as she meets Theo’s eyes in the rearview mirror and Scott’s lips are pulled into a wide grin.
Theo grumbles, but less than ten minutes later, Malia sees him holding back the ghost of a smile when his eyes dart down to his phone in the cupholder.
---
“No, I don’t know how to bake cookies,” Theo was saying into the phone when Malia comes back from the bathroom at the rest stop. She hears the quiet murmur from the other side, and stops far enough away that Theo doesn’t notice her, but close enough that she can still hear him.
It’s a little funny how much Malia has been eavesdropping on Theo’s phone calls on this trip, but she can’t help it. Every phone call seems to give her more and more ammunition against the chimera, so she’s gonna keep doing it. She does not have any vested interest whatsoever in figuring out what's happening between Theo and Liam. None at all.
“Well, tell Liam to fuck off, then,” Theo drawls, though his lips spasm. Scott comes back from the bathroom, and his brows pull together when he sees Malia practically hiding from the chimera.
“What are you—”
Malia shushes him and nods towards Theo, and understanding dawns on the alpha’s face, right before a small grin appears on his lips.
“I don’t care what he said, Brett,” Theo hisses, “I’m not baking you guys six dozen cookies.” Theo pauses when the werewolf says something else. “No, I’m not baking you one either. Tell Liam that I’m never doing anything nice for him ever again.”
“Theo can bake?” Scott mouths silently at Malia incredulously, and she shrugs. It wouldn’t be the weirdest thing that they had found out on this trip, honestly.
When they both tune back into the conversation, Theo’s leaning against his truck, his phone still up at his ear. “Yes, I’m in love with Stiles. I’ve told you this ten times already.”
Scott chokes and staggers, accidentally bumping into Malia, and both of them stumble into view, dumbfounded expressions on their faces as they look at Theo because his heart was steady. The chimera stares at both of them with a dry look, shoving his phone into his pocket as he rolls his eyes.
“The next time you guys want to eavesdrop, maybe remember that I’m supernatural,” Theo sneers at them, his eyes darting behind them, and Malia knows Stiles and Lydia are finally back from whatever the fuck they were doing for so long.
“Wait—”
“I’m not in love with Stiles,” Theo sighs out, cutting Scott off, and now Stiles chokes. “I just said it because I knew you two were listening.”
“What the fuck happened when we were gone?” Stiles rasps out, his eyes wide. Theo shakes his head in disbelief, not even bothering to answer as he slips back into his truck, and Malia and Scott exchange a look before following him.
Stiles storms after them, his face still a concerning shade of purple as he fires question after question at them, but none of them respond. Lydia follows him, and she gives Malia a weary look when they’re both in the truck.
Malia slouches into the backseat, her eyes meeting Theo’s in the mirror, and he quirks a brow at her. She flips him off with a scowl before closing her eyes.
Fucking Theo.
---
They’re an hour away from Beacon Hills when Theo’s phone rings. Again.
“Can none of them survive without you? What the fuck?” Stiles mutters, and it’s Scott who reaches for the phone this time, putting it on speakerphone as Theo waits for someone to start talking.
“Where the fuck is my bio homework?” comes blaring through the phone, and Malia jumps a little at how loud Liam is. She doesn’t know how the hell Liam expects Theo to know the answer to that question when he hasn’t even been there, but lo and behold, Theo answers.
“Did you check under the dining table?” Theo asks calmly, and Malia gapes at the chimera. What the actual fuck is Liam on? No, actually, what the fuck is Theo on?
Malia hears a triumphant grunt from the phone, and then a hasty, “Thanks, dude,” and then the call ends.
Theo sighs, bringing a hand up to rub at his temples, clearly already anticipating their questions.
“The dining table?” is Stiles’ only question, surprisingly, and Theo doesn’t look as annoyed at that as Malia thought he would because the chimera just snorts.
“He likes doing his homework there,” Theo responds casually, like that was somehow normal, and Stiles’ mouth parts for a moment, before apparently deciding against it, and he just shakes his head and drags a hand down his face.
“I’m so fucking done,” Stiles mumbles under his breath, and Malia has to agree.
---
Their arrival in Beacon Hills is highly celebrated, with a whole “welcome home” party and everything.
Which means that Melissa and Argent order a shit ton of pizza and the whole pack crams into Scott’s living room as they search for any inch of space that was available to lounge on.
Needless to say, Malia is not against using her claws to bat everyone away from the larger couch in the room, and she grabs Scott and pulls him onto it next to her without abandon. She has no regrets.
“Hey, Theo,” Liam starts, and Malia sluggishly lifts her head to look at the beta and the chimera, who were sitting a little closer on the floor than Malia thought they needed to. Their arms brush together when Liam reaches forward for another slice of pizza from the box in front of them, and Theo stills ever so slightly, before relaxing again.
“No.”
Liam makes an offended noise in the back of his throat as he smacks Theo’s arm. “You don’t even know what I was gonna say.”
“Hey, Theo—” Corey pipes up, but his voice is teasing, and Malia turns to Stiles, who looks just as confused and tired as she feels.
“—can you help me with my bio homework?” Mason finishes, complete with an exaggerated pout aimed at Liam, and the beta’s eyes narrow.
“Please,” Brett and Nolan both add, stretching the word out, and it’s obvious now that they’re all mocking Liam, and Malia sees Theo fighting a smile, although he's clearly not trying that hard.
Liam huffs. “Fuck all of you guys,” the beta grumbles and Theo’s smile finally breaks through, and Malia is a little stunned at how soft it was. Although she's starting to realize that maybe she should stop being so surprised, all things considered. “I was gonna ask how the trip went. Assholes.”
Theo’s brow lifts up, and his eyes dart around the room quickly, meeting Malia’s eyes, then Scott’s, Lydia’s, and Stiles’. “I didn’t hate it,” Theo states, and Malia snorts, knowing that was the best any of them would get out of the chimera.
Emotionally stunted asshole.
But when Malia notices the way Theo’s head somehow falls onto Liam’s shoulder later that night—when they’re all too exhausted to drive back to their respective houses and decide to stay there for the night—she thinks that maybe, just maybe, she's wrong about that too.
Because the next morning, she ends up waking up early and catches the chimera and beta alone in the kitchen, kissing like their lives depended on it.
Okay, so maybe, just this once, she was fine with being wrong.