Why did I tell him I had to work? Theo knew he'd wanted to talk to Liam. He's been talking about it with Corey and sure as he'd told Corey, Mason would find out and tell Liam. This would make Theo look like a liar. He wasn't a liar.

Why is Brett even out of prison early?! How is he even here right now?! Theo contemplated everything until eventually he was home, and he realized he didn't have anything to do or anyone to talk to. He was used to it. It was normal for him. Then Liam came in and had been there every day. It was weird. But at the same time, it wasn't. They actually got along and even had some mutual friends. Theo thinks he'd have been friends with Liam too if he'd finished school when he came back. All he had time for was work.

He still only has time for work. He can't really be invested in a friendship with someone who doesn't work with him. It never really works out. Not really. Schedules never line up and then when they do it's like tonight. He lies about having to work. Not because he doesn't want to consort with Liam. Theo's just exhausted. Dealing with Brett and Liam have drained Theo and he just couldn't do it anymore tonight. He was going to tell Liam about Brett. Today. The whole truth. He just hadn't expected Brett to go all 'woe is me' and perceive Theo as some basket case.

Brett. He was a nuisance at the best of times. Liam needed to hear this delicately, but Brett comes in, balls to the wall, ready to crucify Theo and make Liam believe in whatever fabricated bullshit he was about to say to him. God knows what he would have done if Theo hadn't shown up. That man is utterly asinine, even now.

Theo got ready for bed that night early and let his mind wander. He wondered about Liam and what he would be doing with Mason tonight. He wondered if Brett said anything else to him after he left. It wouldn't be completely shocking. He wondered if Corey or Mason told Liam yet that he lied about work tonight. He'd be surprised if Liam ate anything for dinner that wasn't frozen. Then... he thought about his relationship with Brett... how they could be so in love and then... cold.

He wanted to think about where it went wrong. What they could have done to fix it. Whose fault it was. Then he thought about the man from the night before. His customer for the night. How he had been with Theo. He wasn't what he'd expected. When he gave Theo his list of basic kinks, he

expected that being rough would come into play. Most people make it almost completely unbearable. Theo likes it rough, when the situation called for it. He liked the thrill of submitting to someone who actually knew what the fuck they were doing. It was rare. Usually, Theo was the one who dominated. Contrary to what people believed, Theo was a switch. He liked to keep things interesting. It probably has to do with his current sex life. Nothing is interesting when it's literally work.

You have to be ready for anything doing what he does. He doesn't have to say yes to anyone. If he feels like a fetish is too much for him, he won't accept the customer. He did this a lot in the beginning, but he'd started getting comfortable with certain things and it was bad for business. Then he'd been surprised when people actually paid for him to just be a date to a family function. Things like that started being surprisingly common. He then noticed there were less things that he worried about with this job. Then there was Donovan Donati. The man was honestly very good looking. Tall, brunette with these piercing chocolate brown eyes that anyone could get lost in. Soft features that Theo couldn't help but admire. He was very different from Brett. He had money not only from his job, but he had family money, so he'd be set for life. Theo didn't really date Donovan, but he agreed to go on a date. He didn't know any better. He found him attractive, and he was pretty good in bed. Better than any of his customers at that time, really. The crazy ones usually are.

The issue was that Donovan was seeing Theo way too often for someone paying for sex. It was bordering on obsessive, and he started even coming to his job. Donovan didn't exactly handle it well when Theo said he couldn't see him outside of their arrangement. He followed Theo to Halefire one night and he was minding his manners. At first. Then the longer they continued their arrangement, Donovan started being acting more intensely. Like he thought they were in a relationship. He then started being thrown out of the bar constantly for causing problems when Theo worked. That's when he started reminding Theo of Brett. He wasn't ready for anything beyond sex at this point in general, but especially not with someone who would have the potential to be exactly like the last person who drug him through the ringer.

Theo let his thoughts lull him into a restless slumber, hoping that the next day would be better than this one.

"I wonder what Theo saw in this guy" Liam says eventually, breaking out of the shock from the still very surprising news. "I mean, with these guys, there's always a tell. Something that sets them apart from the rest, right?"

"It's the same when you're in love, Liam" Mason says somberly.

"What do you mean?"

"The thing that separates this person from everyone else. You feel that when you're in love, too. Maybe Theo didn't know what it was back then. Maybe he just saw him as someone who would do anything to have him. They were young, Liam. Just like you and Hayden" Liam's stomach churned at the thought. He was so distracted with the current crisis between Theo and Brett that he didn't have time to deal with her.

"I'm not sure I ever really had that" he said. Sad eyes looking away from Mason.

"Of course, you did! Liam, whether or not she felt it doesn't mean you didn't have that for her. You loved her. You wanted everything for her. It was a gross display, really and it was hard to be around you guys" Mason chuckled lightly and Liam cracked a smile. He really did love Hayden. It

was just different after it all ended. He couldn't keep blinders on and act like she was coming back from vacation. He knew she was gone and that she wasn't coming back. It was both upsetting and relieving. There was no anxiety over it. Where before he was basically just waiting and wondering if today was going to be the day, now he's finally free. That was simultaneously comforting and terrifying. All he'd ever known was Hayden and now... I don't know what to do anymore.

"Hayden was different. Brett was put in prison for assault and Hayden is... Hayden. She just up and left whenever for however long. It's not the same-"

"It is the same though! Dude, you have no idea how much you lost yourself in her. You don't know how hard it was for me and Scott and Stiles to see you go through fight and breakup and makeup and each time you swore she had changed, but the only thing that changed was you. She wanted you to be hers and only hers and in whatever way she wanted. I had to move out because she and I fought about it so many times and finally I just couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't watch you be something she stripped down until there was nothing left and then eventually just leave anyway. I would have been put in prison too!" Mason laughed.

Liam smiled at his best friend. He knew he always had his best interests at heart. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Would it have mattered?"

He had a point. In that time, Liam could only see Hayden and he didn't really realize how little time he and Mason really had started spending with each other. "I guess not."

"It was probably like that with Theo and that Brett guy..." Mason turns to Liam, very serious. "Liam. When you're in a relationship... and it's good for a while, especially if it's been as lengthy as years... you don't really notice the bad things. It always seems to be outweighed by the happy memories. When you are in deep, like six years deep" Liam shifted because that sounded very specific "you don't really see the abuse, but it's there. You think at first 'oh ok so they're not happy with this, I'll change'... Then a few months go by, and it works... until a new whim suddenly upsets that person. Before you know it, this person is single-handedly alienating your friends and family and you don't realize it because it's been six years and that has become the new normal for you... and everything that you love is that person... and you don't even know who you are anymore."

Liam took that in. He almost started crying. "Mase... I'm sorry... I'm sorry for not seeing it sooner..." He was streaming tears now.

"It's ok, man. It happens to the best of us. We all have that one..." Mason said dejectedly.

"Hey. Wanna watch Clueless? It always cheers you up" Liam tried.

Mason chuckles as if he weren't expecting it. "Sure, why not?"

Both fell asleep before the movie was over, Mason with thoughts and talk of Corey and his relationship budding and Liam with thoughts of Theo and their new friendship and also with the new thoughts of Brett and Hayden. It was amazing he even fell asleep at all.