"Tate," Theo sighed, shaking his head at her. He was disappointed as she'd popped back into this purgatory, or hell whatever it may be in yet another hideous dress.
Her face fell then. "You hate it," she stated, knowing that he did. He'd hated the last three, and she didn't know why she was doing this. Why she'd gone through the trouble of waiting until Kira nor Lydia were with her to show Theo dresses. She'd gotten better at being able to come and go at will from her world to his. All it took was heavy concentration on her part.
"Of course I hate it, you hate it too, or you should. Is this prom or a royal wedding? Stilinski isn't that hot a date to even go through all of this turmoil. How'd you even get in that thing?" He'd asked. It looked like one of those dresses that one would only see in the history books. Back then, they were prestigious and all the rage. Now, however, they seemed to be just a little much. Just as she was about to pop back out, he stopped her. "Are those shoulder pads? Tate, come back in something a little more...modern?"
Theo waited patiently to see what else Malia had to show. He couldn't believe that this was what he was doing. He was helping Malia Tate pick out a prom dress, which she was going to wear on her date with someone else. He'd never get to see her in the dress unless she decided at some point to pop in. He wouldn't blame her if she didn't, though. It was her night of fun, showing him the dress wasn't that important. When she'd returned, he hadn't even had the chance to say anything. His face said it all as his features scrunched at the teal dress she now wore, making her look like she was auditioning to be the America's Next Top Mermaid.
Malia growled. "Why don't you like this one?" she asked, her shoulders sagging in defeat.
"The better question here is why do you like it? Can you see it? Do you need glasses? I thought that being a were-coyote meant you had no afflictions." Maybe he was being a little harsh, but the dress was ugly as fuck.
"You're insufferable." Her eyes rolled in their sockets.
"And yet here you are, asking me for help. What? Lydia and Kira's choices less than desirable?" He knew they were, he'd seen those too.
"Shut it, Raeken. I asked for your opinion, not for you to make fun of my friends' style in clothing." She knew he was right though. She felt like a hopeless case when it came to prom dresses. Prom was stupid anyway. It wasn't like she was going to have any fun. She didn't really see the point of getting all dressed up, having a dance. Then there's a stupid popularity contest that Lydia would no doubt win being prom queen, and then people all paired up went their separate ways and made bad decisions for the night. "I wish that I could just take you with me. It'd be so much easier to pick out a dress then!"
A thought had come to her then. If she could will herself between worlds, just her spirit, then maybe his spirit could come with her. "Give me your hand," she demanded.
Theo raised a brow, but held out his hand to her. Malia closed her eyes, she honed in on where her body laid in a dressing room. That was how she passed between worlds. It was as if she had a connection to that world, to Theo, so he tethered her there, and of course she was tethered to the here and now as well. Instead of just thinking about herself, she thought of Theo, she imagined him in the dressing room with her. Malia honed in all of her concentration on that single thought. Her head spun, feeling the familiar lightheadedness that accompanied her travels. When she opened her eyes in the dressing room, her hand was still holding something. She was still holding Theo's hand. He was standing in the room with her. She looked into the mirror at her reflection, and it showed the both of them. He wasn't just a spirit he was there. A smile formed on her face, and instead of Theo being astonished that she'd brought him here, he said, "Malia, you're bleeding." Her nose, one of her ears. His brows creased. "You can't do that again. There's a price to pay, and your life for mine isn't worth it. Wait here."
Malia felt fine, nothing out of the ordinary had truly happened, no pain. Yet she was bleeding as if she had ruptured something. She'd taken off the dress as she waited for Theo to return. Just as she was pulling her shirt over her head, Theo had returned. He hadn't knocked but she did notice that he looked down as he entered. She would have figured him for the openly gawking type, and then there would have been a smirk occupying his face, except that this time there wasn't. He wore a concerned expression as he held up a wad of tissues. Malia held out her hand but he'd ignored it, cleaning the blood away himself. "How long can you stay?" she asked.
"Until you start the bleeds again. I'm not truly free until my sister sees fit that I am. Maybe her allowing this is a test, but she trusts you. She doesn't trust me, but I'm not feeling particularly murderous today," he joked.
"Please, if you go all serial killer, that blood is on my hands. I did this, so I'm trusting you too." Perhaps trusting Theo was the wrong thing to do. Maybe all of this was the wrong thing to do. Had any of her friends seen her, she'd be in deep shit right about now, but as much as she hated to admit it, she enjoyed spending time with Theo.
"Scouts honor, I'll be good," he held up a hand to vow.
"Have you ever been a scout?" She asked, knowing that if the answer was no, that vow wouldn't mean a thing.
"Scouting for a pack to take over?" Both brows raised and he smiled, knowing that didn't count.
"I'm doomed," Malia mumbled as she led him toward the rows of dresses that she could afford.
There wasn't much to choose from, but Theo understood that she had to work with what she could. But the least he could do was help her with that choice so that she was as beautiful as possible for the ridiculous event. He'd found the less frilly section and was relieved. For a while, he felt like Malia was trying to bring the 80's back, and he just couldn't have that.
"So, tell me about your parents," Malia said out of the blue.
The request caused Theo to frown. No one ever asked about them unless they were accusing him of murder. "Which set? I murdered both." He'd said it so easily, without an ounce of remorse, but he was learning to leave what he couldn't change in the past and change what he could.
Malia tried not to show shock but failed miserably at the task. "W-what? Why?" she sputtered.
"They were great parents. Loving, caring, and I was mom's favorite. I got away with everything." He smiled sadly, but fondly at the memory. "I always rubbed it in my sister's face too." As he spoke he busied himself looking at dresses. The infamous smirk came. "If you think I'm an asshole now you should have seen toddler and elementary Theo. I wasn't evil, or murderous but Stiles could tell that I wasn't all sugar and spice. The Dread Doctors too. It's why they chose me. They saw a spark that they could mold. After they told me to kill my sister, that she would like me to have her heart, my parents just sort of checked out. Understandable because their daughter had died. And their son had witnessed it. Of course to mold me, they needed all family ties out of the way, so they told me to end their suffering, that their grief was too much to bear and they just wanted to end it all, but they were scared. So I did it for them while they slept. No one suffered it was swift. And my humanity left me then too." He pulled out a dark blue wrap dress that wasn't very prom appropriate but would look good on Malia. She'd be so engrossed in his story he had to rattle the hanger to get her attention.
She took the dress, and surprisingly his hand and moved to the dressing rooms. "So you're not as big and bad as they say?"
Theo chuckled, following her into the dressing room. "I am actually, I still killed people and my eye color is just a part of the deception. Don't let yourself fall into a false sense of security. I'm the person who did all those bad things and then some. I'm not trustworthy, but I also don't wake up wondering who I should kill today. There was a method and people pulling the strings."
Malia listened staying deathly quiet as she tried to figure out the logistics of the dress. Theo sighed, untying the side and unbuttoning the inner button. It literally opened like a robe. He turned as she directed with her fingers so that she could get into it. "But would you have killed them if tiny you knew what you know now?"
"My parents? No. Other people? In a heartbeat. "Killed my fake dad and mom because they couldn't get the story right or follow directions. They knew too much and I grew tired of their nervous slips and constant shaky demeanors. Killed most of my pack for the power, that wasn't on the Dread Doctors' agenda. I wanted power but not the pack. I wanted Scott's pack," he explained.
"You can turn around. But I think you search for and longing for a pack because you want to belong. Sure you want to lead but you also want to belong. I'm the same way." Malia had been a lone coyote, but once she had a pack, she longed for that feeling of belonging to the group, that close knit sense of family that she had within the group.
Theo rolled his eyes when he turned around. "You're trying to psychoanalyze a psycho. Don't. It was simple. I wanted the power that came with having a pack. That's always been my motivation." She was entirely too close to the truth, and Theo wasn't ready to completely bear his soul to this girl. Besides sharing only occurred on his end. Malia hadn't been forthcoming about her past. "Don't go looking for something that you won't find. Not everyone can go from Void Stiles, or hotheaded were-coyote to sunshine and rainbows." Yeah it was harsh, and maybe he hadn't meant to say it, but he didn't want Malia to get her hopes up. He'd turned around right after he'd said it and walked right into her fist meeting his face.
"Yeah, you deserved that. Trust me. I'm not afraid to hit you when you're being an ass. What's the matter, Theo? Too real for you?" she asked. He wasn't expecting her to completely rise to the challenge, but then again she was the were-coyote that he'd wanted in his pack. She had a fire in her that was always dormant in Mccall's lame pack. Sure he didn't care for having a pack or well ruling one now, but still Malia was truly fiery.
Theo smirked, wiping blood that she'd drawn with that punch from the corner of his mouth. "Fiery. I like it. "
"Don't care if you like it or not. What about the dress?" She held her hands out at sides, still scowling at him, clearly upset with what he'd said to her.
He took in her expression, the way her face transformed, the serious mask that she wore was something that he liked seeing. Pissed off Malia brought a smirk to his face. "The dress is nice. You in it...well that's a different story."
Before Theo had the opportunity to elaborate, Malia interrupted, "Oh yeah? What's wrong with me in it?" A frown creased her brows as she spoke ready to take offense even when he hadn't said anything out of the way yet.
"Nothing's wrong with you in it. You're beautiful as fuck in it to be honest," he shared with a shrug. Of course she was beautiful. She always had been. And sure he wanted to manipulate her into trusting him before but her beauty had never been lost on him.
Malia's mouth opened and closed a few times, not expecting that to be what he would say. Heat rose in her cheeks causing them to turn a light shade of pink. "Stop it with the stupid smirking," she said finally. "I'll get this one."
Theo simply followed her to the counter and watched as she made a detour. His brow rose and he wondered where she was going and what was running through her mind until she was holding out a tux to him. "Try it on," she urged.
He frowned, not understanding her logic. "Why? I'm not going to prom. I'm going straight back to hell. I get to hear all the details later though, if you come tell me."
Malia pouted. "Just please?" She just wanted to see what he'd look like if he had come to prom with her, and maybe give him a sense of it so he wouldn't feel as left out, now that he was stuck in hell or something like it. Sure Theo was an asshole, but there were times when she saw nonjerk qualities within him. In those times, she didn't feel like that person should be stuck in hell. She felt that he should be allowed a second chance.
Theo didn't like the pouts, he didn't like seeing her face make that face. The face with the corners of her beautiful lips downturned, and her pretty eyes taking on a sad turn. It was like he could literally feel his resolve crumbling. "Fine." He went into the dressing room, quickly putting on the suit. It felt good to be wearing something different. To not be in the same thing, to feel his body and the fabric of this suit against him. He'd began to appreciate his senses. Sure he could feel things in hell, but it was different than his actually being in the real world. Everything felt magnified.
He walked out of the dressing room, but couldn't find Malia. Theo closed his eyes, training his ear to block out the noise and only focus in on one heartbeat. He'd found it a few doors down. Just as soon as he approached, she opened the dressing room door, holding out a hand to pull him into the small space with her. "Malia, what are you doing?" She'd put the dress back on.
There was music lowly playing on her phone. "You don't get to go to prom, so I'm bringing it to you. So, Theo, can I have this dance?" Malia asked, holding out her hand to him.
Rubbing the back of his neck, he said, "I don't dance. Any kind of dancing. I might step on your toes."
Malia's eyes rolled at his excuses. "I'll heal. Dance with me," she insisted.
Reluctantly, he took her hand, his other wrapping around her waist, pulling her closer. Theo swayed to the sound of the music playing. He hadn't known the song, but he'd commit it to memory. It sounded like some Adele song. His thoughts were hushed when Malia rested her head on his shoulder. Neither of them were wearing shoes, and they were dressed in these elaborate clothes, slow dancing in a dressing room. The image of them Theo caught as he looked in the floor length mirror in the room made him smile. In another life, maybe this could have been his life. Theo getting the girl and the life he wanted, but life hadn't been that way and he only had himself to blame for that. He did appreciate what Malia was trying to do though. Another fleeting glance in the mirror and he caught her smile. But he also caught something else. Her nose was bleeding. He'd been there too long.
"You have to send me back now," Theo's voice was even, calm and quiet.
Malia lifted her head, looking at him with almost an air of confusion, until she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She didn't argue or put up a fight. She simply, rested her head on his shoulder once more. Her eyes closed, and she concentrated on the purgatory like place that she'd often visited. They were back, and so was his sister. "Thank you, Malia," Theo said. It wasn't lost on him that she'd given him a dance. That he'd otherwise never get. She gave one fleeting smile before she returned to her body.
The female were-coyote opened her eyes on the floor of the dressing room. The music still playing. She chuckled to herself at the fact that she'd gotten big, bad, Theo Raeken to dance with her. He might miss prom, but at least he'd gotten a dance. Changing out of her clothes, she realized that his were still in the other dressing room. She'd collected them for him. She'd wash them and return them. Or at least the jeans. She might keep the shirt. A frown creased her brows. Why would she want his shirt? Malia shook her head, not sure about her actions as of late. She paid for the dress and left the store.
End Notes: Thanks again everyone for reading! I really do enjoy hearing what you think of the chapters and the progress of the story!