Chapter Text
Rain hammered against the roof of Theo’s truck, fat drops rolling down the windows and gathering in puddles around the vehicle. The car park was dark and empty, and the time on his cracked phone screen displayed 2:31am. He let out a breath and pulled his blanket higher until it was over his lips.
His eyelids ached with tiredness but sleep didn’t come. Every unknown sound had his eyes snapping open in fear that it was one of the deputies knocking on his window to tell him to move. He was running out of new places to go and his days were turning increasingly monotonous. He could leave Beacon hills. There was no longer anything of immediate importance tying him here, but where would he go? Freedom was a foreign concept just out of his grasp and though he reached for it, the trepidation of not knowing what came next kept him from leaving the town. What if Scott’s pack needed his help again?
Scott, Stiles and Lydia were in college but typically came back once a month for a full pack gathering– or so Theo had heard from various fleeting sources of gossip. The rest of the pack lived in Beacon hills or returned every so often for a visit, and when they did, Theo tried his best to make himself scarce of all the places they might go. He was like a lingering bad taste on one’s tongue, and he certainly knew to stay far away from where he was not wanted.
Scott’s pack was the brightest neon sign that read ‘No Theo’s Allowed’, and honestly, he couldn’t blame them. While his relationship with the pack had improved significantly during the battle with Monroe; an unfinished battle no doubt, his new conscience wasn’t enough to earn their trust. But at least it convinced them to not put him back in the ground.
The pack had no idea how grateful he was for that, they probably didn’t even think he had the ability to feel gratitude at all. Still, this newfound freedom didn’t ease the nightmares that haunted his sleep, being thrown back down to the morgue with his sister’s small hands breaking through his chest cavity and ripping out his heart– her heart. But he supposed that was what he deserved, probably too light of a sentence even.
The knock of two knuckles on his side door window had his eyes flying open to meet the harsh flashlight shining it at him. 3:14am, his phone read.
“You can’t park here, Theo,” The deputy’s voice was muffled amidst the heavy rain but Theo could hear the drawl of unamusement in his tone. Too many times the guy had told him to move and they both knew this time wouldn’t be the last.
“Yeah, I’m going,” Theo said with a half groan as he sat up and maneuvered himself into the driver's seat. He hated parking in the preserve when it rained because mud would stick to his truck; the one thing he took pride in, but it was the only place he knew no one would bother him again for the night.
His windshield wipers worked overtime as he drove carefully along the deserted roads, warm toned street lights turned into looming trees as he headed closer to the woods. There hadn’t been a single hint of Monroe’s potential return in so long that Theo was starting to think he needed to find another excuse for staying in Beacon Hills. ‘Scott’s pack might need my help’ , he told himself time and time again, but what if they didn’t? What if a threat popped up and they didn’t even consider bringing Theo into the matter? He’d have no purpose. What did someone with no purpose and little skills besides the art of manipulation and violence bring to the table?
Nothing, he thought bitterly. If they were going to reach out, they probably would've by now, but Theo wasn’t ready to accept that, much to his dismay, so he was staying in Beacon Hills for the foreseeable future. It was so much easier when he didn’t care at all.
After parking, scanning the area from the inside of his truck, and leaning the driver's seat back, he let his eyes fall shut and finally allowed sleep to wash over him. Fitful with flashes of visions that didn’t quite form into nightmares.
Life continued in monotony.
Stealing food and necessities, which he wouldn’t say he felt guilty about but he didn’t like how he felt when he did it either, hunting for food in his wolf form, showering at the school in the middle of the night, and aimlessly patrolling the woods for any sign of new hunters in the area, was his normal. He contemplated going back to high school to complete senior year, but he was nearing twenty and that was discouraging enough for him to disregard the idea. He could get his GED. Did he even want to go to university? Financially, no. Academically, maybe? He’d never been given the opportunity to consider it. He needed a job. A job that wouldn't look too hard into his background, and money to put towards renting an apartment so he could stop living in his truck.
It sounded easy in theory but not in practice.
“Theo?”
Oh god.
He paused, back facing the two sets of eyes that somehow managed to sneak past his supernatural senses. When had he started to let his guard down so carelessly? A breath caught in his throat as he processed his options; Run away, which would make him look like a coward, or face them with a forced expression of confidence. He went with the latter.
“What do you want?” His voice came out gruff from a lack of regular use and laced with annoyance. He turned and looked between Mason and Corey, eyes sharp and assessing. They were weaponless and there was no indication that they’d come with anyone else.
Mason’s expression of surprise from seeing him turned sour in remembrance of who Theo was, and Corey eyed him warily, gaze shifting away before they could make eye contact. “Didn’t think you were still in Beacon Hills,” Mason said carefully, like one wrong word would have Theo sinking his claws into them. Given his track record, they had every right to think that.
“As you can see, I am,” Theo snarked back, knowing his hostility was unwarranted but running into Mason and Corey threw him off his already very unstable game. He couldn’t bring himself to ask what the pair were doing in the woods on a wednesday afternoon.
“Evidently,” Mason muttered under his breath as if Theo couldn’t hear him with complete clarity. “Why haven’t we seen you around?” He asked before Theo could curl his lip and tell them to leave him alone.
A frown drew deeper on Theo’s face. They hadn’t seen him around because they didn’t want him around. “Why would you?”
“Well because…y'know,” Mason shifted his weight from one foot to the other, eyes flicking to Corey and then back at Theo. “You’re not totally horrible anymore…”
Right. Not totally horrible. Theo was super proud of that.
“Say that with full confidence and I’ll believe you,” He retorted defensively, starting to feel like a caged animal.
“Still an asshole though, jeez,” Mason huffed.
“We thought you’d left town when you didn’t come to any of the pack meetings,” Corey spoke up, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“I’m not in the pack.” The words came out as a reflex response. Theo wasn’t in Scott’s pack. Not all that long ago he’d killed Scott to take over his pack– unsuccessfully, but Corey and Mason should know better than anyone that his actions resulted in resounding harm. And actions had consequences, terrible, painful, irreversible consequences.
Theo would be the first to say that being in the skinwalker prison had changed him; Having his sister’s heart ripped out of his body over and over, feeling every bit of it, realising that this wasn’t only his pain but hers too. She’d died slowly and in agony, roped into a narrative that had three supernatural doctors convincing a nine year old boy to let his sister die for ‘his’ gain. Was it really his or was it only theirs?
“No, but you stuck by us back then so we just thought you might…hang around,” Mason replied before lifting a hand and scratching the back of his neck. Hang around like a stray cat. “Not saying you had to stay or anything, just, you were welcome to stop by.”
Theo clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides, human nails pressing softly into his palms. Why? Why would you want me around? I almost destroyed your pack. Something ached at the thought of being welcome, which was probably a selective term considering some of the pack members would be entirely opposed to Theo being anywhere near them.
He didn’t hate Scott’s pack. Not in the slightest. As much as he loathed to admit it, he admired them. They were inseparable, even as time passed and everyone began branching off to further their education and expand their lives, they didn’t lose any of the closeness they held for each other. When Theo first moved back to Beacon Hills he’d underestimated how truly strong a pack bond could be. He’d had nothing to go on, considering his experience with being in a pack was limited to the one he did manage to destroy. A hard lump formed in his throat and he had to swallow it down. The crawling feeling that felt like poison in his veins was another reminder that he could and would never be that person again.
“Thanks,” He pushed out, acknowledging that he did appreciate the offer being genuine. Mason and Corey didn’t deserve the projection of his internal suffering, which he was so good at taking out on people. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
The thought of being around them all had his stomach swooping nauseously. Their pack scent had always been so obnoxiously strong– not unpleasant, though certainly intense, but he actually contemplated taking Mason up on his offer. At least reinserting himself into their lives would be a reminder that he was here to help if danger struck the town again.
“Okay. Cool.” Mason rocked back on his heels, sounding a little unconvinced but Corey shot a small tight smile at him so Theo must have sounded genuine enough.
The air around them shifted into awkwardness, conversation tapering out. It had been a long time since Theo had made small talk, or had a real conversation in general, with anyone, and while talking with the pair was stiff and a little forced, he actually felt lighter for the first time in a long time.
Before he could come up with an excuse to end their impromptu get together in the woods, a hot pain rolled through his insides, making his skin prickle. His body was doing that thing again.
“Woah,” Mason took a step forward, both of the boys’ scents turning confused and mildly concerned. Theo was usually very good at hiding his emotions, keeping his heart rate steady and minimising his chemosignals. But this, this thing that was becoming a prominent issue in his life was something much harder to conceal. It seemed to have started shortly after he ceased all contact with the pack.
Bursts of pain and heat, dizzy spells, an itch under his skin that he couldn’t get rid of. The strange urge to pile all his clothes and his single blanket into the back seat of the truck to sleep amongst. It came in waves, some days he felt like a stranger in his own body, other days it was just a lingering pang of discomfort. But there was nothing wrong with him, physically there couldn’t be, and what was he supposed to do, go to a doctor? Yeah right.
“I’m fine,” He gritted through his teeth, a hand pressed to the side of the tree beside him, claws extending to dig into the bark. He had to hold back a laboured breath and the shudder that ran down his spine.
“You don’t look fine.” There was a tinge of worry in Corey’s tone that Theo was definitely undeserving of. “Your skin is really flushed.”
“I said I’m fine,” Theo snapped, forcing his posture to straighten as he reclaimed some of his composure. God, feeling vulnerable was humiliating. He looked between their unconvinced expressions, “Stop looking at me like that. There’s nothing wrong with me.”
Mason opened his mouth, closed it and then licked his lips in contemplation of his next words. “Is this a supernatural thing?”
Of course it’s a supernatural thing, He wanted to spit back but refrained from doing so because it would only prolong the conversation. With the weird feeling simmering away he lifted his hand away from the tree, palm out to them. With the claw on his other hand’s pointer finger he scratched a line down his palm, the skin opening as blood seeped out. The pain was so familiar he didn’t even react, and after a few seconds the cut closed up and he ran his thumb through the blood to show that he’d healed. “See, clean bill of health. Now, are we done here or would you like me to get undressed so you can do a full check over?”
Mason let out a squawk and Corey’s face turned an unnatural shade of pink. “No, Theo. Please don’t get naked,” Mason said flatly as his face crinkled and Theo felt his lips twitch up humorously. The positive feeling had bubbles fluttering around his insides, foreign but not unwelcome. “Look, a few of us are getting together for the last lacrosse game before graduation. You should come. It’s not a pack gathering, we’re just watching the game. No pressure.”
His heartbeat was steady, but Theo still checked for signs that he was lying. Attending a lacrosse game was definitely better than going to one of Scott’s formal pack gatherings. Was he really considering going? “Maybe,” He conceded to the offer that was too tempting to outright say ‘no’ to.
Who was he kidding? He was going to the game.
It felt strange pulling into the high school parking lot when there were actually cars there. His middle of the night showers were always eerily silent, but right now, the school was buzzing with life. Trepidation crawled in his bones as he sat in the driver's seat with the engine off. He wasn't used to being nervous, toeing the line of feeling out of control, thrown off his once very secure game. Having a superiority complex would have been very helpful at a time like this, but resigned to the fact that he had to deal with having a conscience instead, he made his way out of the truck and towards all the noise.
“You actually came,” Mason gaped as Theo took a seat beside him. The players were gathered on the field, huddled before the game and Theo found himself unintentionally looking for the familiar number nine. His skin prickled.
“Decided it was worth my time,” He responded and Mason let out a huff. Beside him, Corey tipped his head to him and Theo gave him a nod back. Maybe tonight wouldn't be as horrible as he’d convinced himself it would be. At least he wasn’t sitting alone in his truck waiting for another deputy to tell him to move.
Sitting wide eyed beside Corey was Alec, the newest member of the pack who Theo hadn’t met officially. He’d been taken in by Scott just after Theo had made himself scarce, and by the looks of it, they’d explained ‘dangerous Theo’ to the kid. Theo would rebut that he was not anywhere as dangerous anymore, especially not to Scott’s pack, but he decided for Alec’s sake, he wouldn't introduce himself.
“Nolan and Liam know you planned on coming,” Mason said as the players started taking position on the field. The night air was warm but there was a light breeze that had the tips of Theo’s hair tickling his forehead. He brushed the strands from his face, it wouldn't be long before summer arrived and the nights would become unbearably muggy.
Theo didn’t plan on anything. “I’m sure they’re thrilled about it,” He replied dryly, his eyes surveying the field for Liam again. The beta wasn’t hard to find, not all that long ago Liam had saved him from the skinwalker prison and they sort of became something akin to friends. A loose term now that so much time had passed. He didn’t like Nolan. But he could tolerate him and Theo thought that was pretty admirable of himself.
“Theo, I hate to burst your self-absorbed bubble, but you’re not considered the enemy anymore.”
“Right,” Theo quirked his brow, half believing him. Sure, he wasn’t their worst enemy but he was still a permanent stain on the pack’s history and there was nothing he could do to reverse that. Wiping the slate clean wasn’t an option but he would allow himself to believe that if they thought he was a real threat, they would’ve done something about him by now. “Is anyone else from your pack coming tonight?”
Mason shook his head, “Scott, Isaac, Lydia, Stiles and Malia are catching up at Scott’s place. We have a pack meeting in a couple days since they’re on break week.”
Theo drummed his fingers against his seat, eyes trained out to the field. Derek and Peter would probably be at the pack gathering. Argent too, since he lived with the McCalls. He let out a slow breath through his nose, gaze unintentionally following Liam. There were a lot of people he needed to avoid this week, it seemed.
Are there any updates on Monroe? He wanted to ask but pressed his lips together to stop himself. If they wanted his help, they’d ask. The meeting was probably just an excuse to get together and cuddle– or whatever Scott’s pack did.
As the game progressed, Theo found himself shuffling restlessly in his seat, discomfort skittering over his skin and for a moment, he hung his head. It was that feeling again, only simmering but threatening to take over his whole body without a single thing he could do to shove it down or control it. He should leave before it got any worse, think of some excuse and drive off into the sunset, but he couldn't get himself to move. He didn’t want to go. Begrudgingly, he lifted his head, eyes finding Corey who looked back at him with a bewildered stare.
“ What? ” He barked with more bite in his tone than necessary. Corey’s expression made him feel vulnerable, more vulnerable than how his body was already making him feel and it clawed at Theo’s nerves. He didn’t need anyone in the pack seeing him in a way he didn’t want to be perceived.
“Dude,” Mason called him out on his tone and Theo set his jaw. He needed to get his shit together.
“Nothing,” Corey swallowed audibly, “You just smell…intense.”
Intense? He had his chemosignals tucked away to keep his scent mild, a tactic he’d been using for years, and he’d showered less than twenty-four hours ago. He didn’t smell.
Mason leaned slightly closer and gave him an obnoxious sniff, “He smells fine to me.”
“Get away from me,” Theo huffed, elbowing the air between him and Mason to keep him from coming any closer. “You’re probably smelling everyone around us,” He muttered to Corey who shrugged, not even wincing at Theo’s harshness.
“No, it’s definitely just you,” Alec mumbled under his breath before cowering when Theo’s eyes snapped to him. He didn’t grace the kid with a response, instead returning his focus to Corey with a pointed look of ‘explain’.
“I don’t know… you just…” Corey looked between his boyfriend and Theo, cracking each of his knuckles nervously. “You smell really loud– like you bathed in honey and butterscotch–”
“And cinnamon,” Alec supplied.
“Yeah, and cinnamon. Really sweet. Is it a cologne or something?”
“Why can’t I smell him?” Mason complained, trying to lean into Theo’s personal space again but was abruptly nudged away with a glare. “Wait, is it a Chimera thing?” His tone turned enthralled and that only grated on Theo’s nerves more.
Was it a Chimera thing? If it was, Theo didn’t have the Dread Doctors to run to and demand answers from. He felt Tara’s heart stutter. His body was a conglomerate of experiments, unique in every possible way and he wasn't expert on it despite it being his own. No, this predicament was probably a lifestyle thing, a ‘homeless-goalless-recently reformed killer’ kind of thing, he tried to reassure himself. He couldn’t get sick, therefore it wasn’t a problem and would definitely pass. Soon. Hopefully.
“Do I smell like that?” Corey asked Alec who shook his head. “Then it’s not a Chimera thing.”
Mason ran his hand along his jaw, eyes surveying Theo with a newfound interest. “So it’s a supernatural thing because I can’t smell it, but it’s not a Chimera thing…”
“Will you just drop it?” Theo groused. The only thing worse than feeling like this was having to talk about it while the puppy pack dissected his symptoms. “So what, I smell like, what was it– Honey, butterscotch and cinnamon–” that actually sounded like a nice combination, “Maybe I’m using a new shampoo that humans can’t smell.”
“Are you using a new shampoo that humans can’t smell?” Mason crossed his arms over his chest and Theo felt like a scolded child. There was amusement dancing in his eyes, like Theo popping back into their lives was suddenly a very good thing. “There’s definitely something happening to you.”
“No.” Well, now Theo was even more concerned. He wouldn't be able to ignore that feeling anymore and pretend it wasn’t happening. Thanks guys.
A loud series of claps and whoops sounded out in the crowd. Mason, Corey and Alec gave half hearted cheers without even knowing if it was the Cyclones who’d earned it. Their attention remained on Theo who was really starting to regret coming tonight.
“How long have you smelt like this?” Mason narrowed his eyes, “Is this why you almost collapsed the other day? Are you in pain?”
“I don’t know, Mason. I’m fine, stop interrogating me.”
His hairline was starting to prickle with sweat and he ran his tongue over his dry lips as he forced his attention back on the game. He doubted leaving now would get Mason and Corey off his back but the sooner he was away from them, the sooner he might be able to breathe normally again.
They watched the rest of the game without anyone initiating conversation with him and Theo was more than thankful for that. He dropped and rolled out his shoulders to release the tension building in them, feeling slightly more normal and less like he was being analysed under a microscope. The Cyclones won, much to the group’s excitement and even Theo couldn’t stop a small smile twitching at his lips as he watched them celebrate. He’d missed this kind of simple fondness that swelled inside him when he least expected it.
“C’mon, we’re going down to Liam and Nolan,” Mason nudged him, a sparkle in his eyes as Corey slipped his hand into Mason’s and pulled him down the bleachers. Alec and Theo followed after them.
The crowd was dispersing, people heading out to the parking lot while the lacrosse players shuffled back to the locker rooms. Liam and Nolan waited on the sidelines for them, bright smiles on their faces. They hadn’t noticed Theo yet.
Alec pulled Nolan into a hug and Theo’s eyebrows raised at the sight. An unexpected turn of events, but he had bigger issues to deal with. He stuffed his hands into the pocket of his hoodie, looking around the field to see their group were the only ones left. The lack of potential eyes on him did feel less strangling.
“Theo?”
Liam’s voice had his whole body fighting not to shiver. His name on the beta’s tongue. Memories bubbled in Theo’s mind, some bad, most good– feelings swirling around them. Feelings about Liam; helping and protecting him. Feelings for him– Ignored, locked away, trampled down. Fighting their way back up to the surface.
He met Liam’s eyes, blue like the pale clear morning sky, and found himself breathless. Liam’s hair was shorter, less scruffy at the back but ruffled from his lacrosse helmet. His lips were parted, an amalgamation of emotions rolling off of him as he stared back at Theo.
Theo cleared his throat, kicking the toe of his shoe into the grass. “Hey.”
There was a pause, all eyes flicking between the pair and then;
“Hey? Hey? What the fuck, Theo!?” Liam came barreling towards him, face turning pink with anger. He smelled of rage and grass and something that was so pleasant and distinctly Liam. But mostly rage.
Theo let out an oof as Liam shoved him. Relief rolled through him. This was a language he could speak. With fists and claws and fangs and violence; His common tongue.
“What the fuck, me? Ow–” Liam’s fist collided with his nose and a loud crack sounded out. “You’re the one punching me!” Blood dripped from his nose and across the crease of his lips. He didn’t heal as fast as the werewolves did but it didn’t take long for his nose to start healing and the throbbing pain to subside.
“Because you’re an asshole!” Liam went for another punch but Theo caught his fist, twisting it and shoving him away again. He stumbled and almost fell to the ground.
“All I said was ‘Hey’.” He spat the blood from his lips and ran a hand through his hair, chest rising and falling breathily. He’d expected pushback from the pack upon making his reappearance, but not from Liam of all people.
Coming tonight had definitely been a bad idea. Did Liam really hate him that much?
“You left!” Liam’s fists clenched at his sides and there was a flash of yellow in his eyes as he marched back into Theo’s personal space. “You left, you didn’t even say anything.”
Oh.
Theo blinked once, tried to gather his thoughts and then blinked again when he came up blank. “I…” Liam’s stare was demanding. He didn’t know what to say, how to articulate how confused he was.
Mason and Corey hadn’t expected him to disappear, and Liam was angry that he did? They shouldn’t want him around unless they needed him. That’s how it worked. That’s what Theo deserved.
“Actually Theo didn’t leave, we found him in the woods,” Mason spoke up and Theo braced for impact as Corey whispered,
“That makes it worse.”
“You what?!” Liam’s fist flew to his cheek, knocking him back a step before Theo gave him a briefly bruised cheek to match. “Ah– So, what? You were done with us? Didn't care anymore? You could have at least said something!” His breathing was laboured as he switched between yelling and fighting.
Blue and yellow fought against each other and if Theo wasn’t so caught up in the argument, he would’ve found it mesmerising.
What would Theo have said? What did Liam expect him to have said?
I’m going away because you no longer need me. I temporarily killed Scott, manipulated and hurt you all, and I don’t think you want me to stick around so I’ll go on my merry way. PS…If you need my help again, I’ll come back.
“I don’t owe you an explanation,” He settled on, licking blood from his teeth. He stopped trying to fight back, so on Liam’s next punch he fell down into the grass with a thunk, his vision swimming. “Ow,” He hissed, rubbing the back of his head. “Liam, stop.”
Liam growled, more human than werewolf as he dropped to his knees to tower over him, preventing him from sitting up. Trapping him. “Friends don’t just leave!”
Friends.
Shock crashed over Theo’s expression and he let it seep into the chemosignals of his scent. “We– We’re not friends,” he argued but it didn’t hold the same resistance as he expected it to. Was what they had back then really friendship? The air tightened in his throat and Liam’s eyes flickered back to a stable blue.
“We were kind of friends,” Liam breathed, anger dissolving into a disappointed pout.
Theo looked up at him, Liam’s hair falling forward as he stared back at him and in that moment, the intimacy of the position dawned on him. Liam’s hands were on either side of his head and his knees were placed around his thighs, only hovering but impossible to ignore now that he was so fixated on it.
His throat bobbed and a wave of heat ran up his neck and over his cheeks. Helplessly, he searched for a response in his rapidly scrambling mind. Liam was right, in a way, they were kind of friends. But Theo wasn’t good at ‘friends’, the last ones he had were Scott and Stiles when they were kids, and, well, that needs no further elaboration.
“Woah,” Liam’s body swayed for a moment. “What–”
“Yeah. There’s that too.” Mason said, taking a step forward. Theo had almost forgotten about the others’ presence entirely, which made their current position even more awkward. Liam’s skin felt so hot over his own, it made him even dizzier. “He almost passed out while talking to us the other day.”
“And now he smells like that,” Corey added, sniffing the air.
“I didn’t ‘almost pass out,’ I was just tired,” Theo argued, craning his neck back to glare at Mason. “And I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t smell anything.” He’d never noticed any kind of change in scent, especially not one so apparently intense. Nothing in his routine had changed; He used vanilla soap and a generic store brand shampoo and conditioner. If anyone should’ve noticed a change in how he smelled, it was him. Yet, Corey and Alec were adamant he smelled ‘loud’, and Mason didn’t smell anything at all.
“I don’t smell anything either,” Nolan stated at the same time as Liam leaned closer to sniff him. It made Theo freeze up, his breath catching in his throat. Liam was so close. Too close. His skin felt like it was vibrating. He wanted to press his nose into Liam’s neck and breathe him in.
“Oh,” Liam whispered and when their eyes met again, his pupils were dilated. A thin yellow ring shone around them and Theo felt as if he’d been put into a trance that only broke when Liam managed to pull his eyes away again. The breath Theo was holding escaped his lips. “He smells good,” Liam said distantly.
“Honey, butterscotch and cinnamon, we determined.” There was a smile in Alec’s voice like he was proud of their observation. Theo didn’t have the energy to snark a response that would instil some fear back into the kid.
“Yeah…” Liam sniffed again, “Yeah, that’s the smell.”
Theo wriggled his shoulders, trying to regain some clarity. It was all getting too overwhelming. “Okay. No, that’s enough. Get off me.” He shoved Liam away and the beta landed on the ground in a grumbling heap before quickly getting to his knees and promptly asking,
“What’s wrong with you?”
Running his hands down his face, Theo groaned. The night’s warm air brushed over him but his body felt cool against the grass. “The list is way too long, Liam.”
Sometimes, out of nowhere, I get all dizzy and tingly and too hot. There’s an itch under my skin and my entire body aches. Also I want to stick my face in your neck and breathe your scent in until I pass out. No. He was not going to say that.
Mason enthusiastically jumped to explain. “We think it’s a supernatural thing because Nolan and I can’t smell it– But Corey smells normal so it can’t be a Chimera thing. You and Alec smell fine so it’s not a werewolf thing either.”
“So it’s a Theo thing?” Liam’s tone lifted in bewilderment.
“That’s the running theory,” Corey confirmed.
“There is no running theory,” Theo asserted as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. His body swayed and he placed his hand on the ground to steady himself as his vision swirled again. He was starting to think the feeling intensified when he was around Liam and the other pack members because it never used to last this long.
Liam’s hand shot out to his shoulder, cupping the covered skin in a protective hold and it made Theo’s insides ache with the feeling that rushed through him. It was as if Liam, specifically, was the one making this happen. Like Theo’s body was reacting to him.
“Yeah, because looking like you’re gonna pass out every time we see you is totally normal,” Mason replied sarcastically.
Theo’s body protested as he moved to stand up but he fought the stars in front of his eyes and let out a breath of relief when he didn’t topple back over. Tonight had been far more eventful than he’d expected but he supposed it could’ve been worse. At least it was only the puppy pack seeing him like this. Had it been Scott, he would’ve been mortified.
As if on cue Liam spoke up, “We should tell Scott about this.”
“No. Absolutely not,” Theo immediately shot back. The last thing he needed was to insert himself back into Scott’s life, especially when the entire pack was in town. Under no circumstances would he go to Scott about this and not even Liam’s puppy dog eyes would change that.
“But…what are we supposed to do? We don’t know what’s wrong with you.”
We.
We?
“There is no ‘we’ and you’re not supposed to do anything. Especially not tell Scott. You’re all going to spend time with your pack, graduate and go off to college.” The way it should be. He folded his arms over his chest, tone strict. They may technically be adults now, excluding Alec and Nolan, but Theo was still older and held authority over the matter.
“What are you going to do about this then?” Mason asked, eyebrows raising expectantly. Corey and Liam mirrored his expression while Nolan and Alec still looked at him with fascination gleaming in their eyes. This was probably the most interesting thing to happen to the pair since joining the pack.
Nothing. Theo was going to do nothing because eventually the problem would go away and he could go back to having no idea what to do with his life. Purposelessness and monotony, maybe they weren’t so bad afterall. His keys felt heavy in his pocket and his fingers itched to reach in, grab them and hightail out of this conversation.
“See,” Liam gestured at him, “You don’t have an answer which means you don’t know what to do either.”
Theo opened his mouth to protest but if Liam was attentive enough to listen to his heartbeat, he’d pick up on whatever lie Theo was going to tell him. “I’m not going to Scott,” He adamantly said instead.
“Then we’ll figure this out without him,” Liam argued back, looking ready to start another fight that Theo didn’t have the willpower to get into. This wasn’t their responsibility. Theo wasn’t Liam’s responsibility anymore.
Why do you care? Why do you want to help me? The words were on the tip of his tongue but he couldn’t force them past his lips.
“Okay, here's what we’re gonna do,” Mason started, cutting off any chance of another full blown argument developing. He looked around the group, “Tomorrow night we’ll all meet in the library– bring your laptops and any books or notes on the supernatural you might have. Tomes, folklore, fairy-tales, whatever. There’s six of us, so we’ve gotta be able to find something, right?”
Theo didn’t have much faith that some old books would hold all the answers. There wasn't a clear-cut manual about ‘heavily experimented on’ Chimeras like there was on Werewolves. Anything and everything the Dread Doctors recorded about their experiments on him had been destroyed along with them, and this problem seemed to have started long after their demise. It would be like digging for one specific needle amongst a million other identical needles.
It was pointless, and he opened his mouth to say so before Liam cut him off with a finger poking towards his chest. He was all business, eyes narrowed, voice coming out firm,
“It’s this or we go to Scott. Your choice.”
Tomorrow. Midnight. At the Beacon Hills library.
He’ll be there.