Theo stifles a yawn and starts to wake up. He turns over and sees Liam sleeping peacefully next to him. One hand is sprawled underneath the pillow and another is touching Theo's shoulder. Theo stares up at the ceiling and feels Liam shift slightly closer. Liam sighs in contentment and slowly opens his eyes. He touches Theo's chest lightly and brushes his fingers over him.

Liam has become more affectionate than he previously was. It is in the little things. They might be watching a movie and Liam will take his hand. They might be talking about something, then Liam will reach his hand out and touch his shoulder. It is a little confusing to Theo. He knows how Liam is, but everything is so deliberate and calculating. It seems planned and Liam is always waiting for his reaction every time he brushes his shoulder, or takes his hand. He has become used to it. It is embarrassing to admit it to himself, but he has.

He also has been helping Liam's parents a lot. Jenna likes to shop, and she enjoys doing little things around the house. It has become a daily thing for them. Jenna will tell him of a project she has, and he will pretend not to care, but he always helps her with it. Liam is not very coordinated with those things, other than lacrosse. He does not really know how to shop with Jenna or explain to her that they already have more than enough throw pillows for the couch.

Dr. Geyer appreciates it. Probably because it frees him of the task. It is in his smile that he gives Theo when Jenna pulls him away to show him her new garden, or when she asks his opinion about redoing the cabinets. Dr. Geyer always smiles softly. He is not a man of many words, but his eyes give a lot away. His eyes always light up when he sees Liam at his lacrosse games and when he watches his family at the dinner table. Theo never saw his parents look that way, but it is nice. For Liam and Jenna.

"Hey, are you coming to my lacrosse game?" Liam asks.

"Yes. You told me about it five times already." Theo smirks at him.

"Oh. Well, it is my last game in Beacon Hills." Liam smiles.

"Are you happy to be going to college finally?" He asks.

"I guess. I don't like starting in new places, but at least no one will know I am a werewolf." Liam points out.

"I don't know why you are so worried about it. You are a werewolf. Unless there are trained hunters somewhere, what are normal people going to do?" He asks.

"Ignore me and live-in fear." Liam says.

Liam still has a little bit of PTSD from the war in Beacon Hills last year. He still worries about people not liking him or viewing him differently. Theo wishes that he could ease that worry a little bit but is always something that Liam will struggle with. When Liam first became a werewolf, he was worried people would think he was a monster. He is proud of being who he is, but he always has that worry in the back of his mind. He tells Theo all the time that people might not like him if they knew.

"You seem hard to ignore. You don't leave when people tell you to." Theo says.

He thinks back to when Liam refused to leave his truck until he came into the house.

Liam chuckles.

Theo decided to get his own one-bedroom apartment near the campus. He did not love the idea of living with a couple, and he could not see himself in a dorm. He decided his best option was to get something off campus. Having no parents around helped him to get a grant to use for his living expenses. Lydia of course wanted to decorate the entire place, but he told her he would figure it out when he moves in. He still has not gotten used to Lydia being nice to him. She says he enjoys coffee more than Malia does, and he is better at handling her life problems. Lydia's life problems have a large range. It goes from being angry at Stiles to needing someone to give an opinion on if she should follow the scream to an abandon building by herself. He told her no on that one.

He hears his phone vibrate. He already knows who that is.

Corey: Today is the day. 😊

He hates that he told Corey that today was the day he would allow Liam to read what he wrote that got him into college. He is already nervous about it. He hates showing anyone that side of him. He hates that he even allowed Corey to see it. He thought about going back on what he told him, but Corey has become a mini-Liam at times. He never lets anything go and talks about it being for Theo's own good. It seems to be everyone's favorite saying recently.

"I am supposed to give you something." Theo says.

Liam's eyes light up and the blue becomes amplified. Theo has become used to those blue eyes looking back at him. He is going to miss him when they go to college. Maybe. He takes out the laptop and hands it to Liam. Liam's face goes from shock to joy. Theo's chest feels warm and he cannot help but smile at Liam's face. He still cannot believe he brings Liam this much joy. All he did was give him a laptop.

"Can I read it out loud?" Liam asks.

"Why?" He asks.

"I don't know. I thought it might be nice for you to hear it, while I read it." Liam says.

"Ok. Your so weird." He says.

Liam smiles and opens the word document. He scans the page, and he looks up at Theo. He watches Liam's face look back at him in awe.

"Thank you." Liam says.

He shrugs, avoiding eye contact.

"I know it is hard for you." Liam says.

He smiles and stares at the document for a few moments.

"Little Wolf, will you just read it." He scowls.

"Sorry, I know your freaking out. I am still surprised I can read it." Liam says.
Theo's chest tightens and he nervously watches Liam. This was a mistake, but he cannot grab the computer back now. He hates being this open with anyone. Liam smiles and begins to read.

I saw my mother today. I made Liam wait in the car. He is always trying to help and always wants to be everywhere that I am. It is a little overbearing at times, but I know he means well. I walked up to the door and knocked. I am not sure what I was expecting. I knew it was not going to be some happy reunion or anything. I know what I lost.

I was never very close to my family growing up. I was closest to Tara, but even that was strained. I always felt that she was annoyed by me. The little brother that would not go away. I wanted to belong to something. My family was not your typical family. We did not have family dinners or do family vacations. I never talked to my parents about things that were bothering me, or about anything important. Conversations stuck to what I did at school and what I needed to complete schoolwork.

I think that is why when I saw my mother, I knew that there was not going to be some happy family reunion that you see in the movies. She looked at me like she always did. With disinterest and annoyance at my presence being there. I lied and told her that I was her son's friend. I chickened out and I am not proud of it. I thought I could tell her it was me, but when I saw her face and her new child, I could not bring up the past. Maybe our family was not meant to last. Maybe this new family she has will be better for her. I did not want to ruin it.

If she did not recognize me and lie about it, I think it would have been better for me. I knew she recognized me. I saw it in her eyes, I heard it in her heartbeat, and she still lied, but I lied too. I pretended to be a friend and tell of my passing, hoping that it would get a reaction from her. Her heartbeat skipped beats while she lied and told me that she appreciated me saying it. She did not. She wanted to forget. Maybe that is why she started over and has a new family.

I took it out on my friend Liam, and I felt bad about it. I knew he would want to help and fix it. He cannot fix this though. Nothing can fix it. The day my sister died, changed it all. Any resemblance of a normal family was gone and any hope of reuniting as a normal family is gone too. Liam's family is the complete opposite. They are involved in each other's lives and talk about everything. That explains why Liam is the way that he is. He is a mystery to me. He sees the world differently than me. He still sees the good in it and the little things excite him. From playing a lacrosse game, or hanging with his friends, and even listening to songs on the radio. This is not to say he is carefree. He has gone through his share of things, but he has not let it change him. He still has those innocent blue eyes when he looks at you, or when he scowls about doing laundry.

He saved me. I was in a bad place for a long time. I hurt everyone around me, and I even hurt people that I used to be friends with. I did not care about hurting them while I was doing it. I was only trying to survive and create a form of normal in my life. Since I was nine it has been about survival, but it has also been about belonging to something. I thought I had to take it by force and that I could create what I had been missing growing up. It never works out the way you plan. I was forced to deal with my sister who passed away, and the nightmares I experienced from it will always stay with me.

Liam saved me because he brought me out of that nightmare. He showed me what a normal life could be, even if I could not have it. He taught me forgiveness and how to experience things for the first time. He showed me simple things like going to a theme park and going to school. I originally hated him for it, but I know now he was only trying to help me to move on from my past. The past still haunts me sometimes, but someone named Corey told me that the little things make it better. It is the people that you are around that make it better. The little things.

It is in the way I can now go to school, without having to worry about some plan to hurt everyone. The way I can sleep in a bed at night and not worry that an officer is going to bang on my truck window to tell me to leave. It is in the way a blue-eyed boy can stare at me and make me realize how awful I have been. That I can be better, and I do not have to leave the world to find a better version of me. I will never make up for what I have done in the past, but I can have a sense of peace in knowing that I do not have to go back there. Back to my nightmares and back to a place where I still needed to belong.

I have Liam and maybe that is enough.

For once Liam is speechless. He looks at Theo and throws the laptop off the bed. Theo watches it hit the floor and hopes it does not break. Liam grabs Theo's shoulders and his blue eyes search his.

"You do belong sunshine. You belong with me and with us." Liam whispers.

Theo has a strange feeling develop inside of him. He feels a warmth spread inside him and he sucks in his breath as Liam smiles at him. He does not like the sunshine nickname, but he is not going to argue with the Little Alpha when he looks at him like that. His blue eyes showing a smile and a softness. A softness for him.

"Ok." He says.

He feels lighter now that he allowed Liam to read it. He doesn't enjoy being vulnerable with anyone, but Liam is not anyone.

Maybe he does belong and if he belongs to Liam, then maybe he is okay with that.

Liam leans in and kisses him softly. He rubs his hand along Theo's cheek and when he pulls away, he is still holding Theo's hand. His heart aches at having to leave Liam and go to college on a different side of the country. He has never needed anyone before, but he is willing to admit he might need Little Wolf a little more than he thought.