| Fall |

It's been a year. They've made it a whole year since graduation. Senior year had closed out that final chapter of pain. The pack forever changed during Scott and Stiles' senior year, sundered even. Emotions charged too high and perceived betrayal left a lasting sting, one that Liam was never able to let go. Yes, Hayden had been revived along with all the other chimeras; Parrish was a godsend. But the misplaced trust, naïve trust in Theo Raeken had cost them. It cost them gravely: displacing them from the proper path to overcoming the threat of the Dread Doctors, being constantly forced into states of grief and despair at the loss of enumerable classmates, threatening to permanently split up Scott and Stiles decade or more platonic bond, infusing distrust and lies of omission into the pack's communication, and—pertaining to one individual—forcing them to lose someone they loved.

In the most unfair, twisted poetic way, Hayden had died in Liam's arms just as Allison had died in Scott's. The beta had begged his alpha to save her—she was already dying, what damage could the bite do that the mercury flooding her system was already doing? And yet, in a moment where all things crashed around the pack's lynchpin, he let go and caved. Everything caved with him and in his vulnerable state, Hayden died. It tore at Liam. Ate at him. Unlike Scott, he didn't endure. Unlike Derek, he didn't internalize it. In his own way, he fought. Struck out. He blamed. Yes, he blamed the Dread Doctors. And he blamed Theo Raeken once his role in the chaos had been revealed. But more than anyone, he blamed Scott. Scott had promised. He promised to do everything to help. But he failed. Scott failed Liam. Screw the pack—he failed Liam. And he failed Hayden.

After being wound up into his frenzied state, he went after Scott. He tried to kill him. Everything was red. Blindly red with only crimson in his sight. He wanted blood. He wanted those eyes. He would never let that feeling of loss come over again. He would save the next one. He would be the alpha. He would be strong. But his attempt at 'justly' usurping Scott had failed. Mason, in a moment of chance that had thwarted Theo's plan, broke through that blind rage and Liam's better nature was drawn forward like a poison, only a poison to his anger. His humanity served him again. When he became clear, a great deal of damage had been done. Yes, physically he'd hurt Scott, his bloodied face being the most pressing. But the damage to their bond had been thinned as well. The brotherly relationship they'd formed was threatened just as the alpha's bond with Stiles had. In Liam's case, though, it was Scott who 'needed' forgiving.

Liam was in no way ready to do that.

For the final clash with the chimera pack, Scott managed to rally everyone together. But this rally was for war and survival, not for harmony. Liam joined his alpha not out of obedience or for fighting the good fight. No, he wanted revenge, and the best way to get it was to go after those who started this. In the end, Scott's pack and allies triumphed. Liam didn't recognize the face of the boy who'd struck Theo down, only knew that he was from Scott's past and returned to fight alongside him once again. When the fighting ended, Liam left. He chose omega. He avoided the others in the halls, unable to square the elephant-sized betrayal that sat between them. And then Scott and Stiles and Lydia and Malia were gone. They graduated. Moved onto college. Scott, for all his attempts, was unable to convince Liam to forgive him. Even Mason drifted apart, Liam's brood and depression deteriorating. He spiraled downward…

It was senior year. Liam only had four months to go and he could get the hell out of Beacon Hills. Away from the school. Away from the life that reminded him of them. Of her. The championship was in a week. Tonight, win or lose, they were still going through. And they were going to win. But first, he had to make it through practice.

"Dunbar, what the hell is your problem?"

Coach was looking at him. Glaring actually. Liam was glaring off into the woods, his back to everyone. Robbie—the Freshman bench-warmer and Corey's younger brother—was on the ground, the wind knocked out of him and blood dripping down the side of his mouth. Liam had hit him hard, possibly even broke a tooth.

"Dunbar, c'mere."

Liam whipped around, tearing off his helmet, his anger on a knife's edge before falling into his werewolf state. He marched up to the coach, his nose flared.

"I don't know what's gotten into you," Coach began. "You're the team captain and if I ever see you act like that towards your team again, I'll find a new one. Now, take a few laps and I'll decide whether or not to bench you tonight."

Liam had, indeed, broken the kid's tooth. Coach had suspended him for their game against Devenford Prep. Mason had walked up to him, fuming, yelling at him in front of the team during the game; they haven't spoken since. Beacon Hills had lost that night so Devenford moved on into the finals; they'd have a rematch. Brett had noticed, watched it all. He'd been watching for a while; Scott had asked him to. Scott didn't have to, Brett would have done it himself. But Scott still cared, worried. He couldn't do anything, so maybe the most unlikely person could. The one who'd gotten through to him before.

If you asked Liam, Brett let them win. Captain versus captain, Brett let Liam win. It was the only explanation. Six foot-two against five foot-five; what else could it be? If you asked Brett, with a steady heartbeat, he swears Liam beat him fair and square. Liam resented the win for a while; even the post-game celebration felt disingenuous. Liam almost spiraled further because of it. He felt cheated. There would be no do-over. No third rematch. He hated Brett for it. Or so Brett thought. Because one day, sometime right before Independence Day, Liam came knocking…

"Liam?" Brett said, surprised to see the shorter boy at the stoop of his townhouse.

"I need your help," he said simply. He was already half transformed, his eyes red around the yellows, tears clearly dried on his cheeks.

"Yeah…come in." Liam hurried past him, walking straight back into the kitchen. Brett followed and found the boy hunched over the counter, his elbows on the top and his fingers carefully digging into his eyes as to avoid stabbing himself. "Liam, what's wrong?" When no answer came, he stepped forward. "Liam?" He took another step until he was behind the boy's shoulder. He placed his hand on the taut muscle and immediately watched as Liam's body relaxed.

"I can't make it stop."

"Make what stop?"

"These feelings. These memories. It hurts."

Brett placed his hand on the back of the boy's neck. Immediately he was overwhelmed by the pain draining into his veins. His eyes widened a little, overcome by it as Liam relaxed even more. Brett pulled back, stumbling a little backwards. "Jesus…how long has this been going on?" Liam only shook his head. "How've you been managing?" Liam didn't answer and Brett could only guess the amount of pain Liam had induced on himself. "I should get Satomi."

"No, please don't." Liam stood up, trying to prove to Brett that he was okay now, that his features had diminished and he was back in control. "I don't want her to know."

"She can—"

"I just need somewhere to stay tonight. Just tonight." Brett heard the blip. The tell-tale sign that something more was amiss. And Liam knew he'd heard it. "My mom…she saw me." Brett's eyebrow raised. "Transformed. I…I can't go home tonight." Brett looked at the boy before him. Considered him. Considered Scott's words. And his own feelings. He nodded. "C'mon, then."

And that night they shared the bed together. Liam curled on his side, his back to Brett, not quite on the edge. Brett, on the other hand, laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling, unable to sleep despite his intense concentration on Liam's erratic heartbeat. When he looked over at the clock for the nth time, and it finally read '5:30,' Brett rolled over. It was time. He sent the text message and got out of bed. He walked into the bathroom and showered, dressing himself in a simple muscle shirt and gym shorts. When he walked out, he only had a brief glance over Liam's sleeping form when he heard the tapping at the front door. It had been Satomi. She had come over and after some morning tea with Brett, an aroma designed to rouse Liam peacefully, the three of them talked. Or rather, Satomi talked. And listened. And after reaching an understanding with the young wolf, she said those seven words that Liam never expected to hear.

"I'd like you to join our pack."

Liam continued to lash out, the explosive nature of his disorder still untamed and even unchained for too long. Satomi wanted to work with him in that area. Wanted to try and heal that area—the one that never scabbed over properly. In fact, with the trials that Beacon Hills offered, she thought it best to escape. Make an escape for the pack. If Liam went, he would be accepting that offer. If he didn't go, that would be a clear sign, too. He went. He found home there, albeit uneasy and quite odd given his family-like experience with the pack. The dynamic was different. Everyone was an island unto themselves. Sure, there were pairs: Brett and Lori, Harris and Emelia. All-in-all, though, the pack was splintered in an organic way. Liam was uneasy with it, but found that it suited him for the time being. So when they took their indefinite hiatus to east Asia, a Buddhist-retreat of sorts, the dynamics shifted…

It was their second night in Jakar, a small town in Bhutan. Like the previous night, the dzong on the hill was the only real sort of light, the street lights dim and far spread. The pack was settled into two guest houses, although when Satomi led them through meditation (primarily concerned with healing the heart and staying the mind), they all gathered in the back and settled under the moon. That evening had been no exception. They went the whole day in silence until Satomi led them through that night's exercise, its nature focused on celebrating those that have passed and letting go of despair. The alpha sat next to Liam, the pair facing the rest of the pack despite everyone's eyes being closed. He knew that this was meant for all of them, and yet at the same time it was for him. A harmony in duality.

"How are you?" Brett asked as they walked into their room. Liam was already on the floor, rummaging around in his bag at the foot of his bed. He just shrugged. Brett listened closer and found the boy's heart steady. "How are you handling all this? The trip? The meditations?"

"It's fine," he replied, slightly tart.

Brett didn't push it. He'd learned to let Liam come to him. Let things come about naturally. Liam had gained immense control since the start of the trip and now a month into it Brett was confident the boy would be able to function like a normal person once they returned to Beacon Hills. Tonight, though, gave him pause.

Brett stripped off his shirt and pulled out his sleep shirt and shorts before walking to the bathroom. "I'm gonna' take a shower," he announced. Liam nodded and Brett disappeared, the shorter pulling out his latest read before settling on the bed. Brett was only in there for two minutes tops, just rinsing off for the evening. When he emerged, though, he was clad only in his shorts, towel in one hand and other clothes in the other. Liam glanced up only briefly, quickly looking back down at the words on the page. Brett noticed it but paid it no deeper thought; they'd been rooming/bunking/huddling since the start so any thought of Liam and attraction made little sense (not to mention all that the boy had been dealing with).

The taller beta collapsed onto his bed, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He kept them closed, letting his mind wander and drift. He never tampered towards sleep. He was awake, but lost. However, he wasn't lost in his thoughts, he was purely observing them. His 'I,' his 'self' had been barraged over the hiatus to a point where Satomi's teachings took greater affect than ever before. But even as he was just serving as the passenger in his mind, his mind was focused on his new pack mate. Even further, his mind was yanked from its thread when Liam finally spoke.

"Do you believe in an afterlife?"

"What?" Brett asked, lifting himself to sit up—he'd been so far adrift that he hadn't realized he rolled from his back to turning his back to Liam and planting his face almost wholly into his pillow.

"An afterlife…do you think…?" Liam didn't even mumble the end.

Brett knew what he was asking. He peered over at the boy and saw his book discarded at his feet. "A lot of crazy things happen in this world. Things I never thought possible. I guess…an afterlife isn't that out there, is it?" Liam just shrugged, now just staring up at the ceiling. Brett let his head fall back between the top of his pillow and the headboard. He was used to Liam's bleeding-of-thoughts, but that didn't mean Brett was perfect and didn't get frustrated for the simple desire of figuring the boy out or desire to help him recover.

"My dad was really religious," Liam said. "Probably still is. He was convinced Uncle Jeff was in heaven, looking after my cousins." Brett peered over at the beta again. "I wish I could be like my dad. I'd like to think that H–…Hayden is looking after me. After her sister. I just…can't." Liam looked over at Brett and for the first time Brett smelled it. Grief. Liam's eyes were wet, just on the verge of releasing. The taller beta lifted his head and made to turn towards Liam when the boy got up and walked into the bathroom. He grabbed a few plies and blew his nose, wiping his eyes in his shirt.

"Are you okay?" Brett asked as Liam stood in the frame, their gaze snagging.

The shorter boy nodded, even popped a reassuring smile. "I actually feel…at ease?" Brett felt a weight leave him; Liam was going to be alright. "I think…for the first time…I might actually be able to let her go.

"I told you didn't I? I told you you were strong." Liam nodded, actually grinning for a moment. "Come 'ere," Brett said, patting the inside of the bed next to him. Liam walked over and laid down. This hadn't been the first time Brett had comforted him, but it certainly was one of the few. Brett turned the light out and got comfortable before wrapping his arms around Liam.

"Thanks, Brett," the boy said, any sadness in his voice gone. Whatever they'd been doing on this trip was working…

It happened in the morning. Brett hadn't meant to it. He'd never done it before. He probably never would have known if there wasn't a noise that brought him out of his sleep. When he came to, his first sight was the back of Liam's head. His first smell was Liam's shampoo. His first feeling was Liam's ass. And upon realization, he gasped and looked down just to confirm. Not only was Liam pressed up against the other beta, he was hard against him. His eyes widened. He looked back up to the hairs on Liam's neck. He listened, frozen in place. Please be asleep, he thought. Liam's heartbeat indicated otherwise. His breathing told a different story.

"I—…shit, Liam, I'm sorry." But then Brett had his second smell.

"It's…it's fine," Liam breathed, only a whisper.

"Liam?" Liam jerked back a little, his body clearly having done that on its own. Brett focused harder on the smell: the other beta was giving off a clear chemo-signal. Brett took a chance. Dared himself. He reached over the boy's frame. Over his side. Over his bent arm. And felt down. Liam was stiff, his boner protruding hard against his boxers, the top of the bulge rather damp.

"Nnghh…"

Brett froze. He'd never truly contemplated this moment. He'd never really convinced himself this was even a possibility. Belief would have been folly. Hope even more. But it was actually here, and all his experience both sexes did nothing for him. "I…"

"Brett," Liam merely gasped, his head arching back a little. Brett moved to withdraw both his hand and his frame. Put space between them. "Don't."

"I didn't think you were—"

"'m not. Just you."

Brett leaned closer towards Liam's ear. He pulled Liam closer by his crotch, earning a groan. "Why didn't you say anything."

The smaller beta composed himself a little despite it all. "Wasn't sure you liked me. And I didn't know if I did either."

"What changed?" Brett said with a devious grin.

"This week you…ungh, I dunno.' You just…fuck, Brett, move again. It was good before."

"Before?"

"You were sleeping."

Brett's eyes widened for a moment. Whatever cool composure and confidence he was starting to gain hit a wall and fell over. "I didn't mean to—"

"Doesn't matter," Liam said, grinding back. The taller beta lost it in surprise, stifled momentarily until another grind came only a second later. He leaned over more, gripping Liam by the chest. He latched his lips onto the boy's neck and ground forward. A moan filled his ears, followed by a 'yes.'

"I've got you," the older beta said before turning their erratic humping into a thing. He built a rhythm. He tasted his skin, that morning salt. He pulled them together, tight and close almost everywhere. He embraced him, enveloped him with totality. He felt a hand glide down his covered thigh. He felt the boy's shirt drag friction against his bare chest. He heard the other's pillowcase scrunch a little. "Liam," Brett breathed against the boy's ear, letting go of his red and wet neck.

"More," Liam whispered, grabbing Brett's steadying hand and bringing it under his shirt. Immediately Brett pressed, rubbing firmly up the trail of hairs on his stomach and up into the hairy area of his chest. His muscles were firm, made for more than just playing lacrosse. Brett squeezed at his pecs and Liam cooed into it. "So good…"

"Yeah?" Brett breathed in desperation. Excitement. Lust.

"Yeah." Brett nibbled at Liam's ear, the boy moaning rather loudly. Brett rubbed back down Liam's chest and dipped under his waistband. As soon as Liam felt those fingers enclose around his heat he froze. Everything became so real and so exciting and so hot at once. With that one touch, the feeling so anxious, his desire spiked. He became so close. "Fuck…Brett, please."

Brett began to move, stroking not quite perfectly but enough. The sweat didn't help. He didn't slide over him very smoothly. But it was enough. Brett released his ear and Liam twisted for a kiss. Brett took his lips eagerly, pressing them firmly together. Liam pulled his boxers down to above his knees, exposing his ass and the hand caressing him towards ecstasy. Brett struggled to do the same with his free hand bent back uncomfortably towards the headboard. He slipped it behind him and pulled unsuccessfully from the back. Liam stepped in. Helped him tug those long pants down and Liam gasped, breaking their kiss. Brett's leaking, considerably-sized dick squeezed between the boy's cheeks and against his lower back.

"Can't…fuck…Brett I'm…hah—hah—ungh!" Brett felt the cum spirt between his fingers, firing hard enough to spray a little on the sheets. He tugged Liam through it, never ceasing his grind. And that's what brought him to his own. He pushed Liam onto his stomach and steadied over him, frotting hard between his cheeks. Liam clenched them together. Said his name. Moaned it. Urged him. And Brett complied, accidentally catching his dick under the back of Liam's shirt as he thrust forward. He sprayed under it, coating the light red cloth and Liam's skin just near his waist.

Brett laughed a little, some of it breathy. Liam just lay there, the taller boy getting no read of approval or dis–. "Liam?" he began as he pushed back to rest on his heels. "Liam, are you okay?"

"Yeah…definitely." Brett smirked. He leaned over and licked at one of the boy's fuzzy pert cheeks. Liam froze, tightened. Brett licked up. He pushed at the shirt and licked at the cum on Liam's back. "Brett?" But the taller just rolled Liam over onto his back. He dipped down before the shorter could say anything. Stop him. Brett wrapped his lips around his cock and cleaned him, tasting in the process, getting a high. He licked up the underside, peering up at Liam's pleasurably-lost face. With an intentional pop, he found Liam's mouth once again, their tongues finally meeting, sharing in the taste of their essence.

They kissed for a while. Liam's hands explored a little. And Brett started to believe. "You're okay?"

"Stop asking," Liam ordered, smiling up at him. "Let's just…start our day. I have a lot to meditate on." Brett nodded, rolling off onto his feet before stretching out a hand. Liam took it, clambering to his feet. "I'm good, though, I promise."