The first time Theo kisses Liam, Liam knees him in the groin so hard he almost passes out.

Almost.

They had been screaming at each other, arguing once again about the best way to handle a situation. Theo's plan was brash, violent, and erratic, while Liam wanted to take more time, think things over. They were shouting, and the next thing Liam knew, Theo was kissing him...and he'd kneed him. Hard.

"What...the hell?" Theo asks, getting a grip, pulling himself back to his feet.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry!" Liam's eyes are wide as he fidgets, staring in disbelief at his...friend? "You were screaming, and then you came at me, and I thought you were attacking me or...so I...and then..."

"And then you tried to neuter me," Theo says dryly.

"Well, that wasn't exactly what I was going for, but, I guess so." He bit his lip, looking down at the ground, feeling bad for several more seconds before what just happened really kicks in. "Wait a second," he frowns. "You kissed me!"

"Well observed," Theo replies, his tone humorless.

"You kissed me," Liam says again.

"Yes, I was there…"

"You kissed me." A third time.

"Okay, are we stuck in some time loop? Is this Groundhog's Day? Yes, I kissed you, I was, in fact, very present for thay moment."

"You-"

The second time Theo kisses Liam, it's to shut him up.

And it works.

This time, Theo moves slower. He doesn't rush Liam like the last time, and this time, as stunned as he is, Liam sees it coming. He lets Theo approach him, lets Theo back him against the wall of his own bedroom, and kiss him.

As it's happening, a part of Liam knows it's wrong. Sure, he's been split from Hayden for awhile now, but it's not just that. Theo has done a lot of bad things, hurt a lot of people, killed a lot of people, but all Liam can really see is that Theo is there for him. Theo saved Liam's life, hell, he rushed into near-certain death for Liam, and aside from Scott, he's not sure he's ever had anyone who would do that for him and, well, Scott would do that for anyone.

Theo does it only for him, and since Scott left, and Liam has been trying his best to run things safely, Theo has been there, by his side. Sure, not all of his ideas have been the best, and he isn't always easy to count on, but every moment that Liam really and truly needed him, Theo was right there next to him, fighting with him.

Protecting him.

Liam kisses Theo back, his hands gripping the sides of Theo's shirt, and honestly, he's thankful for the wall that's holding him up right now, because he really never thought this was going to happen, and he might have fallen over from a combination of shock and wonder had the wall not been there.

Shock, because he's kissing Theo fucking Raeken, and wonder, because Theo is an incredible kisser.

Liam's eyes are closed, Theo's hands are on his cheeks, and as aggressive as his first move was, this kiss is anything but. Theo is being tender, gentle, and Liam is practically melting into it. When Theo pulls away, he instinctively leans forwards for more before stopping himself. The cold air on his lips is sobering, and he wants answers.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Liam asks, once he can catch his breath.

"Because I wanted to," Theo says.

"No." Liam shakes his head. "You don't get to have that be your answer, you don't get to have that be your reason! You can't just do every damn thing because you want to!"

"Fine," Theo shrugs. "I did it because I wanted to, and because you wanted me to - and before you try and argue, I can smell your arousal when I'm close to you, hear your heart beat faster when I look at you, I can see it in your eyes - the way you gulp, then look anywhere but right at me when I talk to you?"

"You don't - that's not fair," Liam says lamely.

"But it's true," Theo argues. "And if you didn't spend so much time looking away, you might see how it is that I'm looking at you. If you didn't focus so hard on trying to keep your heart rate down, you might hear that mine's beating just as fast."

"Wh-what?" Liam looks at Theo, but he's pretty sure he knows what.

"Really?" Theo raises an eyebrow. "That's how you're going to play this? You and I both know you're not stupid."

"No, it's just, you're not…" Liam trails off.

"A good guy? A safe choice?" Theo finishes. "I know, but I'm not the same guy Kira sent to hell. I'm the guy that you brought back."

"Is that all it is?" Liam asks. "I'm the one that brought you back?"

"No." Theo shakes his head. "You brought me back, you said you'd use me as bait, and then you fought to save me. You jumped on a horse and rode headlong into almost certain death to save the people you care about, and I thought how lucky they were to have someone care about them so much. Then I realized-"

"That not an hour earlier, you'd done the same thing for me?" Liam asks softly.

"Exactly." Theo nods.

Liam doesn't say anything more. He just reaches forwards, pulling Theo back in, kissing him long and deep. He doesn't know if this is a good idea in the long run, he doesn't know if it will come to anything, he doesn't know how he'll feel about it in the morning, but right now, all he can think about is that this isn't the Theo that murdered people, that killed his own sister. This is a different Theo, one who regrets his past mistakes. One who pushed Liam into an elevator, took on all of the Ghost Riders himself to protect him, this is a Theo who has stood by Liam's side since the day Scott left. This is a Theo deserving of a second chance.

Maybe it's not wise, or smart, or logical, but what's happening between them now, Liam pressed against a wall, Theo's body up against him, their kiss deepening by the second, is important to Liam.

And what Liam doesn't know, at least not yet, is that it's even more important to Theo.

A/N This is my first and so far only Thiam story, but I really enjoyed writing it! I hope you enjoy!