"So you really just picked Liam to fuck with me? That's... not even surprising."
Liam was kind of shocked to hear this because Brett seemed to feel something for him. Why would he act like that? Why would he pretend to care for Liam so intensely?
"Well the way you left me made me a little hurt, Theo. I needed to show you how it felt-"
"BY FORCING YOURSELF ON SOMEONE I CARE ABOUT?!"
Liam felt sick. He couldn't believe he ever trusted Brett. He couldn't believe he was ever so insecure as to believe anything that came out of Brett's stupid mouth. He should've listened to Theo. Theo hadn't done anything to make him not trust him. He did the opposite. He made sure Liam could trust him even in his most vulnerable state and Liam betrayed him...
"Oh it wasn't just 'someone'... You care about him. In a way that you don't the others. He's special to you. And you're special to him" Brett said with the most evil look in his eye. Theo was ready to hit him, then he heard Liam yell from the bathroom.
"BRETT GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE BEFORE I CALL THE COPS!"
Theo looked at the bathroom door, then he looked at Brett. "You heard him. Leave" he said with a smirk.
"It's fine" Brett said, looking too smug for someone who was just threatened. "I got something you'll never be able to have. My job here is done."
"Oh yeah and what might that be?"
"He'll never trust you enough. He'll never be able to love you because all he'll see is this moment" Brett said, low enough that Liam wouldn't be able to make out the words through the walls.
Theo had an unreadable expression on his face. He only clenched his teeth for a split second, then he told Brett "you should leave while he's being gracious enough to let you go."
With that, Brett smirked, put his clothes on, and made his exit.
Theo knocked on the bathroom door.
"Liam? He's gone. Can I come in?"
Liam opened the bathroom door. He was sitting on the floor on a towel. There was some blood. In fact, there were other things that Theo hadn't noticed when he first came into the room. There were bruises and bite marks and scratches, not dissimilar to the ones that were on Theo's own body. The difference being that Liam didn't want it...
"Liam..." Theo whispered. He didn't know what to say. His face just showed an expression of pity. Liam didn't really care for that.
"Theo... Don't... You told me- I still-" Liam was getting frustrated and he fumbled over his own words. "I- I'm sorry..."
"No! Don't you dare apologize! Liam, you are a victim of rape. You don't ever need to apologize for that. Brett needs to be locked up for good!"
Theo had a crazy look in his eyes. It was like he'd make it his mission in life to make Brett suffer.
"I'm gonna call the Sheriff, Liam. Is that ok? He's the one that dealt with Brett before. He'll be able to handle this."
Liam nodded and Theo assured that everything would be ok. Theo had Brett's room number from the hotel, but he'd have to have Liam give it so the boy, Isaac, didn't lose his job for breeching privacy.
"Don't do anything. Don't use the bathroom, don't take a shower, don't even move until Noah gets here. Ok, Liam?"
Liam just nodded. He was completely out of body. He couldn't believe this was his first sexual experience with a man. What would people say? He knew the kind of person Brett was, according to his arrest report. He knew Brett had done something to someone close to him... He would he told he had it coming... People would think he was stupid. Ask if it was worth it to leave Hayden for some dude he didn't know just because he was hot.
He wasn't able to deal with that. His IED was starting to come to surface with the thoughts of how people would talk. He couldn't tell anyone. He couldn't tell the sheriff. It was too late, though. He heard the patrol car parking in the driveway and the Sheriff come into the house calling out to Theo.
"We're up here, Noah!"
When Sheriff Noah Stilinski walked into the room, he was met with a raged Theo and a terrified Liam that he could see though the bathroom door.
"So. You thought it best not to tell me he was back?" Noah asked like he father figure he always tried to be to Theo.
"I didn't think he'd be so stupid as to actually rape someone after he was charged with sexual assault and just got out of prison! And especially not anyone close to me! I mean I have a
restraining order!" Theo said in a fit of rage.
Knowing that Theo was equally as angry gave Liam some comfort.
"Which is exactly why you should have let me know!"
"Well here we are!" Theo yelled... at the sheriff...
Liam was so confused. He was sore.
"Liam? Let me take a look at you" Noah said so gently. So paternal.
Theo tried to look at Liam too, but he couldn't see much more than he'd already seen, so he just walked out to get Liam some clothes and food. He also wanted to examine the door that he'd kicked in. He hoped he hadn't done too much damage.
He went back up to Liam's room and the sheriff had been calling people from the station to come to Liam's house.
"What's up?" he nodded his head toward the sheriff.
Liam spoke in a low voice, "he's calling people. They want to take pictures. DNA. Anything to prove Brett was my attacker. They asked if I wanted to press charges... at first I said I don't know-"
"Liam you have to! He could-"
"I said yes... I don't want this to happen to anyone else..."
"Alright. Team's on their way. Liam, can you stay like this for a little while longer?" Noah asked.
"Yeah..."
"Don't worry. You'll be able to shower and everything soon" Noah assured him.
"I really just wanna leave..." Liam said.
Noah and Theo looked at him questioningly.
"Are you sure? I mean do you want me to call Mason or-"
"Can I stay with you?" Liam asked Theo, tears in his eyes.
Theo didn't have any clue why he would even ask. He should hate Theo for bringing Brett into his life. He should hate Theo for abandoning him after the fact. He should hate Theo for even existing. Theo was a piece of shit. He hated himself for letting this happen. Stilinski was right. He should have let the police know when Brett was in town and none of this would have even happened.
"Maybe you should stay with Mason... or your parents... I'm probably not the best person to be with you-"
"I need you..." Liam insisted. And he did. Theo was the one person he knew that would understand this. He was the one person who wouldn't judge him if he reacted... badly... he wouldn't treat him like it was his fault... he knew how seductive Brett's words could be. How he could tell you the sky was purple and rain was made of lemonade and you'd believe it, even with the facts in front of
you.
It was hard to deal with by himself, but Liam wouldn't be able to tell Mason and especially not his parents. He didn't even tell them he was for sure wanting to date men yet. Theo was the only one who knew the darkest parts of him and still accepted him. Even now. Even after Liam's betrayal.
Theo was not about to deny Liam a safe place. He understood the need for a change. He would look at this house for a while as the place where he was violated in the worst way. The same reason why Theo had to move from where he and Brett lived and where he and Donovan stayed. Memories were too much... and this was Liam's childhood home, so that made it all the harder...
"Of course you can stay with me" Theo said.
The sheriff and his team took all their invasive tests and pictures and Liam felt so exposed. He played lacrosse in high school and never had an issue being naked in front of people, but this... this was different.
There were people taking pictures of all the scratches on his body and then a person would take a swab of the skin tissue. Then another person would take a picture of the bruises and bite marks on Liam's neck and chest, then more swabs...
Then...
They took pictures of his... downstairs...
They pulled some pubic samples and swabbed his... front...
They did the same in the back...
He had been bleeding because Brett was trying to be too rough. He didn't start out that way, but he didn't ease into it like he did with his fingers. He just went full-force. Was this normal?
"How did this happen?"
Liam was in a trance. He wasn't even listening the whole time.
"He was experimenting with someone he thought he could trust" Theo spoke up for him.
"Thank you, but I'm going to need his official statement if we're going to be able to take this further" the deputy, Parrish, said gently to Theo. He looked Liam into his eyes and tried to pull him back to reality. "Liam. Can you tell me what happened?"
Liam snapped his head up to look at the officer. Then he looked at Theo with wide eyes, as if to ask if it was ok to even trust this person. Theo nodded in response and Liam looked at the deputy and told him everything. Told him how he met Brett at his job, how he was always flirting and being persistent and how he seemed to want to make him feel... special? Was that the right word?
Not special exactly... Maybe just... needed...
He made Liam feel like he was needed and like he wasn't the 'leftover friend'. Like his... issues with his other friends not having time during this crucial period was valid.
This made Theo's stomach turn. He didn't want to make Liam feel like Brett was the only one that could make Liam feel understood and valid and the fact that it was all under false pretenses made
Theo feel all the more sick.
"So you're saying you seeked out someone who you could identify with" Parrish said.
"I mean... In a way? I guess?" Liam looked at Theo and then looked down at the ground before Theo could even look back at him.
Liam felt guilty for even admitting it. He could have easily just asked Mason or Theo or even Corey about any of this. He was an idiot.
Liam talked to the deputy for a while longer and Theo went to talk to Noah.
"Everything alright, son?"
"I wasn't there for him. I wasn't there and I should've been. He did this because of me..."
"What are you talking about?"
"He told me he was curious about men and asked me some questions and after that I practically ghosted him to be with someone else..."
Noah looked at him and just let out a small sigh. "Kid, you couldn't have prevented this. Otherwise it wouldn't have happened. Things happen. I know that sounds bad, but it's really how life works. I had to accept that when Claudia died, too."
"I know, but if I would've just been here-"
"It's good you showed up when you did. It would've been so much worse. Brett is who he is and Liam is who he is. He trusted that he could give that boy the benefit of the doubt just like he gave you the benefit of the doubt" he said raising a knowing eyebrow that kind of scared Theo.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm the sheriff of this town. Do you think I don't know what you do for a living? How do you think you've been able to go on so long without getting into serious trouble?"
Theo could only laugh nervously. Of course Stilinski knew.
"How?"
"Well, your friend Donovan isn't exactly fond of you for pressing charges. He tried to reduce his sentence by telling people that you were a sex-worker. I said he'd have to have proof and that the fact that you two were in a relationship made his claim null and void and that any claim he made was a conflict of interest against his case."
"Should've known" Theo laughed.
"Seriously, though. You should think about getting out of that before someday you end up in a body bag."
"Well, it just so happens that I have been looking into a job in the hotel business" Theo smirked.
"Oh really? Why is that?" Noah looked over at Liam who was still talking to Deputy Parrish.
"No reason" Theo said, turning to Liam as well, smiling fondly.
"Well if it doesn't work out and you need help on the job front, you know you can call me. We can always use more help down at the station."
"Well I'm not exactly qualified."
"I'm sure I could pull some strings" Noah said looking from Theo to Liam, "for both of you."
Theo's eyes grew wide. He couldn't believe it. "That's... generous..."
"Well you boys have been through so much. You don't need to be in a position that will make it easier to go through all of that again."
"Thanks Stilinski. I really appreciate it. I'll talk to Liam about it, too."
Liam walked into the hallway where they had been conversating as if on cue, "talk about what?"
"We'll talk about it when we get to my house."