CH 4
Liam smiled as he heard the chimera come back through the front door, relief flooded through him. Focusing his attention back to the book opened in his lap, the younger boy began skimming the pages once again. A knock startled him, glancing toward the bathroom door, his mouth went dry.
"Sorry." Theo stood in the entry way wearing black sweatpants that were riding dangerously low on his defined hips, and nothing else. Liam had to force his eyes up to remain eye contact.
"What's up?" Hoping that Theo couldn't hear his heart rate spike, his voice came out strained.
"Do you want to watch a movie or something, if not no big deal, I can't sleep." Theo looked down shyly as he spoke. Jumping off the bed, Liam handed over the remote.
"You pick something, and I'll go get snacks." The younger wolf scurried down the stairs and began making popcorn, wondering how the hell he was going to survive an entire movie with a shirtless Theo, who unfairly resembled a Greek god. Liam shook the thoughts away, he should not be looking or thinking of Theo in that way.
Once back into the room Liam hopped onto the bed mirroring the older boys position. Leaning his head and back against the wall, while their feet dangled off the edge, the young wolf place the bowl of snacks between them.
Halfway through the movie, Liam felt something heavy on his shoulder. Warmth filled his entire body, Theo's head was nuzzled against him, soft snores escaping his lips.
They stayed like that for two more movies, Liam couldn't bring himself to wake the older boy. He looked so much younger with soft features from sleep, he was so relaxed, it was the first time he looked truly human.
Towards the end of the third movie, Liam noticed the chimeras heart rate speeding up, then came the soft whimpers and protests.
"Tara…Stop…please…take it back…I'm sorry…. please." Liam's heart was breaking, he couldn't listen anymore.
"Theo wake up." Gently he shook the older boy.
"It's just a nightmare…wake up."
Theos eyes snapped open. Liam had already lifted his head off of him in attempts to wake him up, immediately the older boys face flushed deep red while wiping tears away quickly.
"Sorry…I…" His voice trialed off. Theo knew he couldn't lie or fake himself out of this one.
Liam gently ran his fingers through the older boys incredibly soft hair, soothing him.
"It's okay, just breathe." Theo had never looked so vulnerable before.
Slowly he climbed off the bed.
"It's really late… I'll let you get some sleep." Once he got to the bathroom door, he shot Liam a soft smile.
"Thank you Liam, for everything." The door closed and Liam laid back into his bed. Mind racing with thoughts of the chimera. Out of all the chaotic thoughts swirling around, one he could settle on was how happy he was that Theo was here, and safe.
With a smile he rolled over and closed his eyes, listening to Theos heartbeat until the darkness came.