Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Liam Dunbar was a household name.

He never really got used to thinking about that, because he never really got used to it being true.

No matter how much someone said that to him, Liam never really believed it was true. He couldn’t picture the millions of followers as real people any more than he genuinely pictured himself as some big famous actor.

He had gone into this for the love of the craft. He had done small things first. Ads, modelling shoots, the odd bit part in a cop or medical show. The more time he’d spent on set, the more he’d loved being there.

He wasn’t entirely sure if he was a great actor or anything, but he loved it, and he figured the more he tried, the better he would get.

When he’d auditioned for the first big role, for the first big blockbuster movie, he hadn’t thought he’d stood a chance. He thought it would go to someone far more well known, actors from existing teen dramas or from indie movies with award titles on them. When he’d auditioned, he’d gone in with his headshots (which he’d always sort of hated) and his small resume. He’d done a bit of theatre too, but he was no experienced actor. He’d never been first on a call sheet in his life, never even fifth, and he highly doubted he would start with a blockbuster, hundred million dollar trilogy movie deal.

In the interview, he’d been all grins and innocence, which sort of helped for the character and the clean cut image they wanted the actor to portray.

He didn’t think he nailed it, but he thought he did okay. He’d remembered his lines well and having been a dancer growing up (far be it for him to criticise his mother for the choice when it had helped him so much in life already) he found choreography for fights or stunts relatively easy.

He wasn’t expecting to ever hear back from them. If anything, he figured maybe he’d get a bit part. A background kid with one line here or there.

Instead, Liam got a call back a week later to tell him he was going through to the second round of auditions. They said this round had about fifty actors, and that it was a big deal. That he should bring his A game and expect to be partnered with a more well known actor for a chemistry read.

Liam was terrified, he had never really met anyone big ticket before, mostly silver screen stars and daytime soap types. He didn’t take anything away from that, but it certainly wasn’t the same level of scary for him.

That audition had been totally different again. Liam got to meet a man named Peter. He was a well known actor, a heartthrob in younger years and a silver fox as he got older, someone admired and watched. He had awards and fame behind him and Liam found him fascinating.

They had gotten along well enough, and Liam thought the screen test went well. He was young enough and had a boyish enough look to carry off the teenage role well, despite barely being a teen at that point.

Weeks had passed after that, before his agent had called to give him the news that he was in the top 2. It was strange for him, trying to decide how to move forward from that point, trying to decide how to handle it. Only when he saw his name on new sites and articles and twitter, listed as one of the ‘up and comers’ being considered by this giant movie company did it start to feel real.

His instagram followers shot up from around 2,000 to around 20,000 over night. But that in no way prepared him for what happened when it was announced that he got it.

Liam had jumped around screaming like a madman, had cried from his excitement. He and his mother had gone out drinking, all excitement and cheer and, for the first time ever, he was recognised. From a headshot in an article stating he would play this new, iconic superhero role.

That was only the beginning; things changed from that day on. He was watched more, for a start. He’d go places and find himself being photographed by kids trying hard to hide that they were taking photos of him. He found fan pages dedicated to him, complete with screenshots from the snippets of movies, tv and modelling he’d already done.

He found opinion pieces on whether he looked right for the role.

Most that he saw was positive, but he also found many people slamming him. People citing an ad he’d done at age fourteen as the reason he clearly wasn’t a good enough actor to play this role.

People said he was too skinny or too short. That his skin wasn’t clear enough or his hair wasn’t the right shade.

Still, Liam was only ever excited. He was a little trepidatious, sure, but overall, it still felt like a huge, positive opportunity.

His agent, Scott, had been wildly supportive, able to book him bigger interviews, better roles.

Because even then, he wasn’t Liam anymore. He was Liam Dunbar, star of a new billion dollar franchise, worth his weight in gold for a look in before he got quite as famous.

Suddenly, booking little things was easier. Things he did got noticed more. His following gradually increased.

It was after a cameo in a bigger budget superhero movie, the first glimpse of him in his costume, playing the role, that things really took off though. He jumped from a few hundred thousand instagram followers to a few million. He jumped from being barely recognised once or twice to being all anyone could see when he was around. He jumped from having a few fans, a few tagged posts a day to have mentions and dms so flooded he could barely check anymore.

Everything changed, seemingly overnight.

In the lead up to his solo movie, Liam really did start to get scared. That he couldn’t hold his own, that he wasn’t good enough, that he wouldn’t live up to what fans wanted, that he couldn’t be the hero they believed in.

Still, he got on well with the Director and with the crew, he got on very will with his co stars, many of whom truly had become family to him in a short time.

He tried his best to learn. He shadowed directors and producers, asked questions and tried to keep out of the way.

Word got around that he was a ‘nice boy’. Suddenly, he was the nerdy boy, people wanted to pose him in sweaters and glasses with quaffed hair and a serious expression. None of it was particularly Liam, who mostly spent his time in pyjamas drawing tattoo designs on his skin with sharpie, but people seemed to eat the image up.

When the movie came out, Liam was stunned to find that people, on the whole, liked him. That he was largely accepted as not only the character, but as the new piece in a far larger franchise.

Things had changed so significantly in so short a time that Liam had really barely adapted.

Despite having a whole team now, hair, makeup, chef, assistant, PR and trainer, Liam still felt like a mess, and mostly he just wanted to be left alone to live his life. He had little time for the idea of a fake persona or identity to present to the new fan base he’d acquired, and he found that people liked him for being different.

He found that when he’d post a design he’d drawn, people would tweet him only hours later, having gotten that design on their skin.

It was a lot to get used to, but Liam really was... grateful. And as much as people went on telling him to be careful, that fanatic fans could be dangerous and that he’d regret it if he got too candid or let people in too much, Liam continued on trying to be a friend to his fan base.
He did weekly livestreams, played guitar and did singing covers. He posted tiktoks and responded to many of the comments he got. He posted frequently on instagram, often the little designs he drew up his own arms.

People felt like they knew him, and Liam was glad. He fostered that, joking with people and always stopping to talk to them. He remembered one particularly busy week where people were fawning all over him because he went out to get coffee in pyjama pants and a hoodie. It sounded stupid in hindsight, but it truly hadn’t occurred to Liam that anyone would see that.

He remembered how it had been the subject of weekly late night comedy hosts, how they had talked about how the new generation were so bold. How he could woo girls in his pyjamas. All sorts of things Liam had never, and likely would never in future, consider.

People often told him he should be more careful. Be more private, don’t give so much of his life to them. People told him it would backfire, that people would feel entitled to him, but he didn’t believe it.

When he agreed to do this lip sync thing, he hadn’t really thought much of it originally. But he figured if he was going to sign up, he was going to go for it. He didn’t do things half heartedly, and he found that people seemed more endeared to him when he went all out.

Which of course, was how he wound up in drag, doing a particularly full force, out there, difficult dance to Umbrella, complete with a wet stage and rain falling. He was pretty sure he could pull it off well, pretty sure people would love it, pretty sure he would win. His co-star, Hayden, was opposing him and the two were very good friends, so it worked in his favour. He played into it, joked around constantly with her, and it helped them both.

When he got to the end of the evening, his phone was blowing up. Not just from fans, but people who actually knew him. Family and friends texting him gifs and screenshots that had already been made mere minutes after the performance.

His PR team loved it, his manager was happy, the producers liked the boost it gave their image, and they liked that he and Hayden had come across so naturally close.

The evening had been fun, and when he got off stage, he had a text from his agent telling him he was trending worldwide. He took and posted a picture in his outfit, making some comment about how he thought he looked better that way.

Afterwards, he and Hayden got into the car, got ready to head back to their hotel.

“That was... intense, man, you really pulled it out.” She told him, laughing as she did. “I have to tell ya, I didn’t expect that. I was expecting you to go more... I don’t know. Rock god doing Bon Jovi or something, honestly.”

Liam grinned, “Exactly. That’s why I did it. And now, those photos are going to pop up every five minutes for the rest of my life,” He said with a laugh in his tone. “And honestly? That’s the legacy I’ve always wanted.”

“Have you read the thirst tweets?” Hayden laughed, “You should absolutely read them, they’re hilarious. You’re like, the weirdest sex symbol ever.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Liam asked, brows raised.

“It means half of people are calling you a baby bean and the other half are calling you daddy.”

Liam burst out laughing, glad, not for the first time, that he got along so well with his costar. It was a huge opportunity for both of them, and their relationship had helped to boost both of their public images. They bounced off each other well, and did all their press shit together.

They were currently staying in the same hotel, holed up in a city that was neither of their home for filming, so it was easy for them go to and from things together.

Liam was still not used to having to either cover his face or spend three hours talking to fans, but thankfully someone was always around to remind him. He and Hayden put on dark glasses, black jackets and hats and got out of the car, making their way as quickly through the hotel as they could. Liam’s drag makeup wasn’t fully off and as much as he wanted to see fans usually, he was totally exhausted and ready to collapse into bed.

He made it to his room in one piece, but when he got the door open, he wasn’t prepared for what he found inside.

His stuff had been completely ransacked. His bag left open, pieces of clothes strewn across the floor. A framed picture he kept of himself and his best friend as infants was noticeably missing from his bedside, as well as his toothbrush and most of his toiletries.

Liam hadn’t left anything too valuable in the room, he had anything important tucked away with his family or with his team, knowing things like this could possibly happen.

Still, as yet, nothing this weird had happened to Liam.

Save for a few creepy tweets or letters, his experiences had been largely positive.

Searching the hotel room, he easily found the worst part. On one of the bathroom mirrors, a smaller, makeup mirror attached to the wall, was a note.

‘I’m Your Biggest Fan. I’ll See You Soon.’

The handwriting was hard to read, obscured by what he imagined was lipstick and little block letters on a small surface.

Still, it made shivers run down his spine.

He left the room and jogged quickly down the hall, knocking on the room he knew to be Hayden’s.

“Hey, do you...” He breathed, anxiety clouding his chest for a moment, “Has anyone been in your room?”

She blinked, seemingly confused, and shrugged. “Maids, maybe? Why?”

He frowned, “Someone’s been in my room.”

She let him in and he sat and called Scott, who reassured him things like this happened, and they’d have to be more careful.

Liam hadn’t been too affected by these things, for the most part. He lived at home most of the year, still had his childhood best friends by his side, still moved around mostly as he usually would.

The idea of having to change that because someone might come after him was... terrifying.

*

“I’m fine.” Liam said quickly into the phone. “I swear, I’m fine.”

“Liam, honey, you’re fine now, but no one should’ve even known which room you were in. Let alone how to get into it. Don’t you have a security team? A bodyguard? Surely Marvel should’ve given you a bodyguard?”

“Mom, it’s not in their contract...” He said with a small frown. “And anyway, it’s fine. I wasn’t home, all they did was take some stuff.”

“What if you had been home though? What then?”

Liam didn’t know, really. If a person was willing to break into a stranger’s room, what else would they do?

“I think you should stop being so public with your life. Take a step back from social media, let things calm down. Get a bodyguard.”

“Mom, please, I don’t need that.” He sighed, “I like being in touch with people, and I’m not scared of some random fan. I’m leaving the hotel tomorrow anyway. It’s all going to be fine.”

His mother sighed into the phone and he could sense that she was going to push. Maybe even contact Scott about it, or even executives. He regretted how involved he’d let the people in his life be with it all, because the more involved they were, the harder it was going to be for him to talk down the paranoia at this situation.

“Have you told Mason?” She asked.

"Should I have?" Liam asked, confused. "Why would I tell Mason about it? It's not like I'm hurt."

His mother sighed, "He would agree with me, Liam."

"Okay, look... if... if things get any worse, we'll hire a bodyguard, alright? I promise."

It was only a few hours later that Liam realised his mother might be right. He was flicking through his social media when he noticed his tagged photos. The same one, again and again and again. Liam and Mason, four years old, dressed as a prince and a pirate respectively. The photo wasn’t one Liam had ever posted. It was his and Mason’s, and one thing Liam wanted to keep quiet. The photo he kept in a frame by his bed.

The photo, thousands of times, complete with captions about how cute they were, about them being brotp goals, about Liam still being a prince now. All the comments were sweet and supportive, but there was still a shiver up his spine.

Liam didn’t want to be so watched and so known.

He scrolled back as far as he could, looking for the first instance of the photo. It took him hours to find it, hours to find any sign of anything weird, but when he found the account, it had only been open for a day. There were only a few tweets, but they were all creepy and unsettling.

‘I Found His Hotel.’

‘Update: He Smells Good.’

There was a picture of the inside of his room, completely empty. No shadow or anything to signify who it was. Just the inside of his room.

Then there was the picture of him and Mason, in the frame and all, a picture of a picture, posted only an hour before.

Liam scrolled back up, swallowing hard. The icon and header were both just images of him and the caption simply read, ‘I Love Liam Dunbar’.

He refreshed the page, wanting to see if they’d posted anything else and when he did, he dropped his phone.

It took him a split second of sheer fear to calm down and convince himself to pick the phone back up again.

He stared at the picture, goosebumps rising all over his body. It was him.

It was Liam, asleep, curled up in his blanket tightly, his mouth slightly open. The caption read, ‘Can’t Believe I Got So Close’.

When he calmed down enough to process what he was seeing, Liam took a few screenshots, opened up his phone app, and called Scott. As his manager, he figured Scott would know what to do. Who to call. That, and truthfully, Liam didn’t want to be alone. Scott was on a different level, but he was in the hotel, and at least then Liam wouldn’t feel so vulnerable here. He couldn’t stop thinking about the photo. About how close the picture was to his face. About how this meant they’d been in his room not once, but twice, and once while he was there.

He texted his mother, simply confirming, “Getting a bodyguard.”

Chapter Text

Sitting in the meeting room waiting for a decision to be made was somewhat stressful. Liam had gone directly to Scott, who had gone directly to the execs on his current contracts. His management were happy to find him a bodyguard, but they wanted to speak with the various moving parts to make sure everything would work and was above board. From their perspective, how would it look? What sort of person would they hire? Would they be visibly by Liam's side, or someone waiting off in the wings?

For Liam, the whole conversation was weirdly abstract. Though he had come to terms with some of the strangeness of his new life, there were a lot of things that still felt surreal. It still felt surreal to him that he could never just go out Christmas Shopping again without being stopped a million times. It still felt surreal that he had to hide when he went to the airport, lest he miss his own flight. It still felt surreal that he had to go to hotels under pseudonyms, otherwise he'd likely get swamped.

Nothing, though, was more surreal than realising if he was on his own these days, someone might break into his room in the middle of the night.

The question had been raised by Scott first, but Liam had heard it echoed multiple times by multiple people since.

If they got into his room once, who was to say they wouldn't get into his room anywhere? His home, his trailers, anything?

There was already security in place at the hotel and it hadn't stopped him getting stalked.
No one had known which hotel he was at, but they'd still gotten into his room.

His family home... Liam didn't know if there was any way for someone to find that out, but he wouldn't put it past them.

That was one thing he'd always been careful with, but his family still loved there. His mother and stepfather.

Not to mention the sheer discomfort of Mason having been dragged into it through that picture. His childhood best friend often came on these trips with him, and if Liam wasn't safe, he supposed Mason wasn't either.

When one of the execs (and if Liam was honest, he didn't really know who did what in these meetings, though he knew them all well enough) returned with a serious expression, Liam was ready to hear the terms he had really no control over.

"After discussing it and trying to figure out how to fit this all in with your image and your safety, we have a few ideas in mind." He began. Liam felt nervous. Having someone follow him around all day everyday to make sure no one got too close was weird, a massive lifestyle change, and he wasn't sure he liked it.

"First, we were considering trying to hire someone who looked to be within your age range. That way, if you want to keep the image of being 'just a normal kid', you can do so more easily." The wording sort of rubbed Liam the wrong way. The image of being a normal kid... that implied he wasn't, and Liam didn't fully understand why people said things like that. What about him was different or special, other than the fact that his work was viewed on a wide scale? He wasn't somehow wiser or smarter than any other random twenty year old.

Scott was nodding, obviously content with the ideas suggested.

"We think, at least for the moment, it should be a full time assignment. We don't want you going anywhere without security on you. Especially right now. The first movie is really at the height of its popularity, and with stories floating around about the second movie and filming, now more than ever, we need to keep you safe all the time. You're too in the public eye-line."

Liam cringed. All the time? As in, every day? As in, they were going to hire someone to babysit him twenty-four hours a day?

Scott chimed in then, looking directly at Liam, obviously knowing his client well. "I know you don't like it, Liam, but your safety has to be the number one priority. What happened is... a major security breach. And worse than that, if others saw those tweets before we had them taken down -- and we have reason to believe they did, based on interaction figures -- it could inspire others to try the same thing."

Scott knew Liam well, because that pushed him back in the direction of agreeing to these terms. Scott had been Liam's manager since he was fourteen. Scott had only been eight years older at the time, but he had been outgoing, good at his job, and very dedicated, which was why Liam's mother had hired him. He had been his management for the next six years and Liam had come to see him as more of a friend than a colleague. Or an employee? He truly didn't even know what their technical relationship was.

He knew Scott cared about him past the work side of things too, that he was almost an older brother figure, so he figured if Scott thought it was necessary, he probably had to respect that.

"Okay," Liam finally nodded, and the exec took a deep breath, clearly relieved Liam had agreed.

"Good." The exec nodded, and kept going, "On that note... there's another thing. We want you to lean into the rumours about you and Hayden."

Liam raised his brows, skeptical.

"You don't need to do anything except let people believe that maybe there's something between you." He hurried to add.

"Why?" Liam asked, his frustration growing. He was trying to be okay with it, knowing they were trying to protect this, but how did this help? Except taking away the authenticity he'd always prided himself on.

"Because we think it might help to reassert the idea that you aren't on your own. You won't be, because you'll have a bodyguard, but the more we can present the image of you being around other people, the better. Plus, it has the added bonus of allowing people to believe you're taken."

Liam's eyes narrowed, disbelieving, "Wait, how does them thinking I'm taken help? Are you implying the person who broke into my room and took a photo of me sleeping cares whether I have a girlfriend?" He asked.

"I'm implying someone who breaks into your room isn't stable, and the more likely they believe they are to get caught in the act, the better for you."

Liam sighed. "Have you spoken to Hayden about this?"

"Yes. She was no more willing than you are, but she agreed on the grounds that neither of you had to outright lie, you just wouldn't actively shoot down rumours."

Liam trusted his friend, so he finally nodded. "Okay. Yeah, okay, fine."

He paused for a second as they started on looking at contracts, "Wait, wait, how do we know the bodyguard can be trusted anyway?" He asked.

Scott took a deep breath. "I've suggested someone." He said quietly, maybe suspecting Liam might be more difficult about this when he was actually had someone following him around day to day.

"Who?" Liam asked, more suspicious because of Scott's apparent wariness.

"I went to high school with him." He explained, "He's a bodyguard, and a nice guy."

"Then why are you talking like you're trying to set me up with your unappealing friend?"

"He can be a little..." Scott trailed off and Liam's eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"Uh... sharp? Serious? It's okay, though, you'll like him, there just might be an adjustment period, that's all. Getting used to having someone around you all the time."

Liam was starting to wish he'd just never gotten this job, because god help him he did not want to be followed around by this guy Scott seemed scared to describe for the foreseeable future.

*

"So what time does he get here?" Liam asked, still grumpy.

He was back in his apartment in LA. The place was pretty small, but it was nice. It was out of the way, easy for Liam to hide out at because people wouldn't look there for him obviously. He didn't stay here most months of the year, but when he was filming and doing press, he didn't have much of a choice.

"He's on the way now." Scott told him, sitting cross legged on his floor. He was sure their relationship was unconventional, considering Scott was just hanging out having dinner and beers with him right now, he wasn't even on the clock, but it was sort of nice to have such a close relationship with someone he had to see all the time.

"So... is he going to be like, sleeping in my spare room or...?"

"Yeah," Scott nodded, "What are our other options here? It's not like I can put him up next door, that would sort of defeat the purpose."

Liam sighed, "So I'm paying him to live with me without paying rent?" He asked, glumly.

"You're paying him to give up all his time to keep you safe. Also, you're a superhero. You'll be fine to pay the rent."

Liam pulled a face at him, but realised he was probably right. This was a human being who going to be spending all of his time around Liam, and Liam was already sort of suspicious of him. Scott knew him, which was a little more reassuring, but Scott seemed worried about it, which was a little less reassuring.

There was a knock at the door, and both Liam and Scott looked up. "It's either pizza or the bodyguard. Either way, I'm paying, so you should have to go get it." Liam told him, flashing a half hearted grin.

Scott pulled a mocking face, but got to his feet.

When the door opened, Liam glanced up, and immediately, he was confused.

Maybe he was just kinda stupid and took too many cues from movies, but he was expecting him to be a big, scary looking dude who looked like a mafia boss or something.

This guy wasn't that.

He wore grey sweatpants and a simple navy tshirt. He had black aviators on, his hair casually falling at either sides of his face and a duffel bag on his shoulder. If Liam was expecting someone who looked like a villain, this wasn't that guy. He simultaneously looked normal, and also like he had somehow fallen out of a photoshoot.

The guy was model good looking, buff and seemed weirdly casual for what Liam was expecting.

He supposed their idea had been that it wouldn't be obvious that Theo was his security day to day, so him looking like a real guy made sense, but like... damn. Liam didn't know many real guys who just happened to look like that.

He sat there awkwardly for a minute before he jumped to his feet. Liam was fairly friendly by nature for the most part. It was maybe a part of his job, that he met people day in and day out who were excited to meet him, and he actively tried to match their energy, to make them feel like the interaction was as special for him as it was for them. This wasn't too different, in a sense. Liam's instinct was to be nice, always. To represent himself well.

"Hey," He greeted brightly, "I'm Liam, it's nice to meet you,"

Theo stopped talking to Scott for a moment and regarded Liam coolly. He looked him up and down and, seeming unamused, gave him a terse nod. "Theo. Where will I be staying?"

Liam immediately felt taken off guard. He didn't want to be that person that expected people to like him, but he was. It wasn't because he was an 'actor' or because he was 'famous' or anything. It was because Liam... well, liked to be liked. He considered himself a generally likeable person and he tried hard to be easygoing, especially on sets. He hadn't always been so good with his temper, and he'd put a lot of work into being a laid back, easygoing guy around people he didn't know well.

Yet, this man had taken such an obvious and immediate dislike to him.

Liam blinked, confused.

Wasn't he the one that was meant to be a diva about this? He was the one who was being trailed around like a child because his managers and execs decided it. He was the one who was paying, Theo was getting paid to be here. So why was he the one acting like Liam was a piece of gum on the bottom of his shoe?

Suddenly, Liam wasn't thinking the guy was a model type, he was looking at him and thinking of how he looked like a douche. His whole outfit reeked of overconfidence and his aviators were stupid. It was night time, what was he trying to block out here? The way his hair fell was a little wanky, and Liam told himself he needed to get a haircut.

But really, Liam was being petty and a little offended. He was just... taken aback.

What could he have done to make someone dislike him so quickly?

"Um... sure." Liam said flatly, his own expression sort of taken aback. Scott looked a little nervous, and Liam knew now why. It was because his high school friend was a dickhead. "This way." Liam took off walking, expecting the others to follow.

He pushed the spare room door open. It wasn't a big room, but it had a big window with a tiny, useless balcony that at least let in a nice breeze and a view of a very quiet, but pretty street.

There was a double bed in the room, and a little standing wardrobe. He had tried to make it as clean and nice as possible for his new guest, but now he kinda wished he hadn't.

"This is your space." Liam said, arms folding over his chest.

"Thanks," Theo spoke flatly, walking in and chucking the duffel bag down onto the bed, before walking out and just looking in the others rooms. He didn't ask, or say anything more to Liam, just simply looked at each of the rooms.

Liam felt weirdly protective when he looked at his bedroom, wondering what Theo thought of it. It was pretty plain really, there wasn't much. There was a little stack of letters on his desk that he was in the process of answering and sending back to fans. He had a little action figure of himself as Spiderman (because... why wouldn't he?) and a few other small things, but mostly, there wasn't much. Most of his things were back home, safe.

Theo didn't comment, but went to look in the bathroom, inspecting the place.

"Um, can I help you?" Liam finally asked.

Theo turned to look at him, regarded him with bald-faced judgement. "I need to know the apartment if I'm going to protect you in it." He commented, like Liam was stupid for not knowing.
Scott was still looking awkward, his lips pursed, staring at the ceiling like he was trying to avoid Liam's eyes.

Liam glared at him, hoping looks really could kill. As he walked past, he leaned over and elbowed Scott in the stomach, before going back to his fridge and grabbing another beer.

Scott let out a little yelp, but didn't say anything. He obviously realised Liam was within his rights to be grumpy about this, which Liam was personally glad for, because he was sort of annoyed about it all, no matter how hard he tried not to be.

The door knocked again and Liam grabbed the pizza, putting it down on the floor where he and Scott had been sitting, before dropping back to the floor again, rather ungracefully.

Scott came and did the same, and Theo just stared at them.

"Why don't you sit at the table?"

Scott and Liam looked at each other, then at the table, then at Theo.

"Why?" They asked in unison.

Theo scoffed and sat on the lounge, seriously, seeming annoyed with the other two.

"I thought you two were friends?" Liam asked, trying to figure out what the hell this dynamic was.

"We are?" Theo answered, brows raised. "What would give you the impression we weren't?"

Liam blinked at him, trying to decide how rude to be in return. Theo was being outright hostile towards him, so he figured he'd just do the same back. "Well, because Scott is a funny, friendly dude and you look like if you smiled, your skin might crack and the curse would be lifted and you'd turn back into a goat or something."

Scott let a little laugh slip out and Theo just glared at him, no hint of any personality outside of 'dick' taking over his face.

"Wow, famous li'l heartthrob doesn't like me, whatever will I do?" Theo answered back, full sarcasm.

Okay, Liam hated him already. Twenty-four hours a day with this dick following him around condescending him for no goddamn reason?

"Probably sit on the toilet for several hours straight. I mean, I assume that's why you look so pissed off. You're constipated, right?" He snarked right back, brows raised, grumpy.

"So like... if I leave you two together, you're not going to kill Liam, right? Because your entire job here is to keep him alive, and I sort of got you this job... and I don't really wanna deal with that..." Scott commented, head tipped.

Liam frowned, "I'm sorry, where's the part about how you actually like me? Or like, don't want to lose me, because I'm such a great friend, huh?"

Theo snorted, muttering under his breath, "Wow, the professional attention seeker can't stand not being liked. Shocker."

Liam stared at him, eyes narrowing. "Wow, what the fuck? Who shit in your cheerios this morning?"

"Forgive me for not being immediately taken by you just because you were in a movie."

"I would, but it seems like you immediately hate me just because I'm in a movie?"

Scott was starting to slowly scoot back away from the two of them, obviously not overly looking to be part of this.

Hours, and a lot of snarking later, Scott had left, and Theo and Liam remained. They stayed staring at the tv, sort of aggressively ignoring each other, when Liam's phone lit up.

He looked at the text, which had come from an unknown number.

'Hello, Liam.'

Things like this weren't too out of the ordinary, sometimes people got a hold of his number one way or another. It didn't immediately raise any alarms to him.

'Who is this?' He responded, neither confirming nor denying his identity until he knew.

'I'm Your Biggest Fan.'

Liam's blood ran cold, and he glanced up at Theo. Loathe as he was to talk to him about anything, he figured this was the point of him.

"Weird text." He said out loud.

Theo scooted closer to him, looking over his shoulder at the phone.

Liam noted that he smelled good, but that only reminded him of the weird tweets and he suddenly felt ten times worse about the whole thing.

Theo, who had obviously been briefed about all the weirdness of it all, nodded, "Same writing style." He said slowly. "You don't recognise the number? They've never texted you before?"

Liam shook his head, and another text message came through.
'I'm Going To Come See You Again Soon'.

Liam's body language changed, he could feel it. His shoulders hunched and he felt another shiver run down his spine. It felt like horror movie 101 and normally it wouldn't scare him, but... he thought about the photo of him sleeping, and he felt weirdly unsafe, even in this apartment he'd been safe in for nearly a year already.

Theo's demeanour changed too, as if he was suddenly taking this more seriously. "Look, whoever this is, they're not getting in here." He said quickly, "You've got two separate locks on the door and I'm going to have another installed. My room is closer to the front door and I'm a light sleeper -- part of the job description. No one is getting to you. Alright? No one is getting through me."

He was looking into Liam's eyes now, seriously, reassuringly, and the change of pace was jarring. Liam resented the way he felt a little tongue tied under Theo's searing gaze, and he resented the fact that he clearly still disliked him, yet was being so earnest about this.

Still, Liam felt a little safer. He nodded his head seriously, a little glad to hear it, and sniffed.

"We're going to sit up for a bit, okay? Till you calm down. Then I'm going to come and just take a quick look at your windows, just to make sure. Alright?"

Liam nodded again, and he tried really hard to maintain disliking Theo. He could be good at his job, maybe, but he had still been a dick to Liam earlier.

Yet, Liam did feel a little better that he was there. Especially when, another minute later, a photo of his apartment block came through.

Chapter Text

Liam still didn't like Theo, but he had to admit he felt better having him around.

He was still rude, but his demeanour seemed to change whenever something weird happening, and weird things did keep happening. The person had let him know they knew where he was living, but as far as he knew, they didn't know he had Theo there as a security. So at least that was something.

The two were sitting at his tiny table, Liam staring down at his cereal, awkward.

They had to spend too much time together for two people who seemed to have absolutely nothing in common. Liam wanted to try to be friends with him initially, but he had been so rude off the bat that Liam now found himself just outright resenting him.

"How did you sleep?" Theo asked and Liam eyed him.

"Do you mean did someone come in and steal my underwear? I don't know. I'm fine."

"No, I meant, how did you sleep?" Theo asked, rolling his eyes. "It's called being polite."

"Since when are you polite?" Liam snarked, scoffing. "Honestly, not super well. How could I? Someone is probably going to make me into a skin suit."

Theo's lips pursed and he frowned, "I'm sorry." He finally said, "But I promise you, no one is getting in here. If it would make you feel better, we can stay in the same room for a few nights."

Liam sighed, staring at the ground for a moment. "What's your problem with me?" Liam asked, ignoring the offer.

"What?"

"You came in here all hostility and frowns. Why? What did I do to you? Did I like, not do your favourite character justice or some shit?"

Theo sighed, looking at the ground. "I just don't like celebrities."

“What do you mean you don’t... like celebrities?” Liam asked, confused. “You know we don’t share a brain cell or a personality, right? Like, the only common trait we share is that people know who we are?”

“That’s not the only common trait.” Theo grumbled, more to himself than Liam and Liam raised his eyes to stare at Theo challengingly.

“Oh, okay then. Why don’t you enlighten me, Theo. What other common traits do we share? You’ve known me for twelve hours, so tell me. Who am I?”

“You’re another entitled kid who thinks you’re so special just because teenage girls on social media worship you.”

Liam snorted.

“Oh yeah.” He answered with a nod, an amused smile pulling at his face. “Tell me what makes you think that? When have I been entitled since I met you? What have I said or done that led you to believe anything about my self esteem comes from what people say about me on social media?”

“I follow you on social media.”

Liam outright laughed this time. “Oh okay. You follow me, great. What did I say that pissed you off then?”

"It's just disingenuous, Liam. The way you all go on about loving your fans, like tweets by people as if they're even real people to you, as if it's not just all a pay check. You all put on these fake ass personas so that people will like you and I don't like it. I'm not under any delusion that you're somehow the person you appear to be in interviews and on twitter."

Liam frowned, "That's your problem? You think my personality is fake?" He asked, confused.

"Well, no offence, my guy, but you're going to be spending 24 hours a day with me for the foreseeable future. You're going to know what my personality is within like 5 days of you being annoying as fuck to me because you don't believe my twitter persona or whatever."

Theo just stared him down. "Right. I just thought it was easier not to start with any of this pretence."

"Alright, whatever. If it would suit you better I can just be a total dick to you so you can pretend your random hatred of me is justified?" He said with complete sarcasm.

“I don’t hate you. I’m just not going to fall at your feet.”

Liam frowned, confused, “Fall at my feet? I fucking hope not, you’re my body guard, you’re kinda here to stop people doing that.”

He sighed, “Look, you could try actually getting to know me as a person. I’m not asking you to like, fetch me a latte or whatever, I just... don’t wanna hate someone who’s living in my spare room.”

Theo just shrugged in response.

"Okay, well, I have to go grocery shopping today, so I guess you're coming with me." Liam said, all but giving up on getting Theo to see reason about this.

Theo took a deep breath, "And I guess the idea is that I'm your friend, not your bodyguard, right?" He asked. "So I should just dress totally normal?"

Liam nodded. "Yeah. If you could pretend not to hate me while we're in public, that'd be great."

"Don't hate you," Theo repeated, already getting up to go get changed, "Just not a fan."

"You don't even know me." Liam reminded.

Liam didn't mean to be self aggrandising or anything, but he couldn't understand what there was about him not to like.

Certainly not yet, anyway. Theo had seemed to come into it with a chip on his shoulder, and Liam really didn't know whether or not that had anything to do with him. It felt weirdly personal, but Liam had no idea why that might be. He hadn't met Theo before, at least as far as he knew, and he didn't think he'd been hostile at all until Theo had been.

A little while later, the two emerged again, both dressed. They both wore sweatpants and tshirts, but Liam had also donned a baseball cap and a pair of dark sunglasses, which Theo didn't have. Liam suspected the two of them probably didn't look like much like this, and he could only hope they wouldn't be noticed near the apartment again. He'd been careful, always going in his car and through backstreets, but he reminded himself it didn't really matter. Whoever his stalker was, they already knew where he lived. They'd already been within inches of him while he slept.

He shivered again, and Theo took notice.

"Did something else happen?" The bodyguard asked, flippantly fixing his hair in the mirror.

"No." Liam said slowly, "I just thought about that picture of me asleep." He glanced up. "How long have they been doing this? They know where I live, what if that wasn't the first time? What if they know where my parents live? Where Mason lives? Hayden, even?" He asked.

Theo frowned. "Honestly, there's no way of knowing unless they give you more information. If you're worried about your parents, maybe hire them security as well. Or even bring them out
here for a while, put them up in a hotel."

Liam sighed, “Then I’m just putting my friends and family in danger, right? No matter what I do.”

He nodded slowly, “Listen, I know this is hard for you to hear, but right now we really have nothing to suggest this person is in any way violent. They’ve had at least once chance, maybe more, to hurt you and haven’t. Right now, all we can hope is they’re just trying to be close to you.”

Liam nodded slowly. “They were coming out for a weekend soon to see me anyway. We don’t usually go this long but I’ve been so busy. When they’re here, you’ll protect them too, right?” Liam asked, his eyes filled with concern.

“Of course,” Theo said. He had this remarkable skill of pissing Liam off nearly constantly, yet still managing to actually reassure him some.

Liam nodded, speaking slowly, “Thank you.” And then, after a moment, “You have to be nice to my mom though.”

Theo rolled his eyes, as if Liam was an idiot, then muttered under his breath, “Contacts.”

“What?” Liam asked, confused.

“Your eyes. They’re contacts, right?”

Liam blinked, surprised by the question. He hadn’t been asked that since he was fifteen. “No, they’re not. Just my eyes. Why?”

Theo shrugged, “They look like contacts.”

Liam frowned, trying to figure out what that meant, and whether it was an insult or a compliment. “Um... okay.”

The two headed off to do the grocery shopping, slipping out a back exit of the building. Liam really, desperately wanted to know for sure he wasn’t being watched, but after seeing the photo of his building, he just couldn’t be sure. Still, it did help to have someone by his side. Theo walked fairly naturally, arms swinging at his sides, but Liam could tell he was on guard, ready to jump in should something happen.

“How would I know if I was being watched?” Liam asked, trying to remain calm, but keeping his head down and covered by the brim of his hat just in case.

“If they’re a good stalker, you wouldn’t.” Theo answered, as if that would make him feel any better.

Liam shuddered, and Theo grabbed his hand for a moment, squeezing it reassuringly. “I’ve got you, man. No ones getting over here.”

Liam was too busy being creeped out to think too much about it, but later, he would wonder how Theo could manage to be gentle and reassuring in some moments, but rude and hostile in others.

When they got to the store, Liam knew he was in for it. Already, he’d noticed at least three separate people try to subtly point him out to someone else or try to subtly snap photos of him.

Theo had been largely ignored walking in an arc a little away from him, which was fine. They didn’t want to project the image of him being unapproachable, which Liam understood. It was a large part of his reputation.

When someone finally approached him, a young teenager, asking for a picture, Liam knew what this was. If he said yes, others would keep asking, photos would get tweeted, more would show up. But if he said no, he ruined this kid’s day and deprived them of an opportunity that was special to them. Liam knew he wasn’t special, he was just a kid himself. Just an actor. But they thought he was, and he wanted to at least try to live up to that.

Liam nodded, and Theo shot him a quizzical look. Maybe he was trying to tell him he should’ve said no. Maybe he was trying to ask why he didn’t. Liam figured Theo didn’t really get this stuff.

It was easy to imagine that you’d say no. It was far harder when someone was looking up at you hopefully, full of admiration Liam hadn’t earned.

He dropped the piece of broccoli he’d been holding into his cart and raised his hat slightly to make his face visible for the fan’s photo.

They snapped the selfie, grinned brightly and told Liam he was their favourite superhero. Liam smiled back, trying to live up to that.

“Oh yeah?” He asked. “He’s always been my favourite too. I’m so glad you enjoyed what I did with the character.”

“Uh-huh.” The fan nodded, “Can you tell me anything about the next movie? Will Hayden Romero and Corey Bryant still be in it? Will they play bigger parts?”

Liam grinned, “I think I’d get in trouble if I answered any of those questions, but I can promise it’ll be good.” He told them.

“Do you think I could record you saying hi to my friend? She’s like, your biggest fan.” Liam’s smile faltered for only a moment, thinking about the stalker, before he regained himself.

“Sure. What’s her name?”

“Jamie.”

Liam nodded, and when they clicked her phone on to camera, Liam grinned into the phone. “Hi, Jamie. Your friend says you’re my biggest fan. Thank you so much for following my career! I hope you’re having a great day!”

After the fan moved along, ten more followed. Then ten more after that. Liam tried to talk to each of them, give them a bit of time and genuine conversation, and by the time he had been left alone, blessedly, Theo looked somewhere between thoughtful and annoyed.

“Why did you do that?” He asked, sounding annoyed.

“Look, I’m sorry you had to wait for ages, but—“

“No, it’s not that. Why didn’t you just... say no to some of them?”

Liam’s brows furrowed. “Why would I do that?”

"Because you spend... like, hours doing this when you just need to grocery shop?"

He nodded, "I mean, yeah, but like... if I say yes to some and not all, I feel bad. It's just, y'know, to me this is a waste of time, right? But for some of them, this is like, a huge thing. And I know you hate celebrities or whatever, I understand that, but... some people don't. I know I don't deserve them looking up to me like that, but I figure the least I can do is... y'know, try to deserve it."

Theo stared at him, like he was trying to figure something out, and Liam did know what it was.

"Are you still trying to find my contacts?" He asked, trying to break the moment of tension.

"No." Theo said, shaking his head. "I'm just... I don't know. Honestly, you're not what I was expecting."

Liam blinked, "What were you expecting?"

"Don't know." He shrugged, "Come on, let's finish getting food and get out of here." He said with a half smile, and Liam walked after him, looking for more food. He always tried to stock up for as long as he could, so he didn't have to come out all the time. In theory he could hire someone to do this for him, but he still didn't necessarily want to do that.

The two of them finished up shopping and walked back home. They were stopped a few more times, but mostly, thankfully, left alone. No one questioned him about who Theo was, and truly, he was relieved.

He wasn't sure how good they'd be at pretending to be friends in the public eye.

Theo had offered to cook when they got back, and Liam was glad, because even though there were still many hours until dinner, he was already exhausted from everything going on lately.
It was a little while before someone knocked on the door, and when Liam opened it to find Mason there, he grinned brightly, hugging the other boy tightly.

"I thought you weren't coming out until filming picked up next week?" Liam asked, shocked.

Mason grinned, "I thought I'd surprise you." He walked into the room without asking, before locking his sights on Theo, who was passed out on the lounge watching some movie Liam hadn't been paying attention to.

"Who the hell is that?" He asked, his voice dropping lower. "I thought you weren't allowed to be seen having one night stands."

"Ew." Liam snapped, shocked by the comment. "No, god, he's not a one night stand. He's my new bodyguard." The both stopped to look at Theo, who was whistling slightly through his nose in his sleep, his hair a mess, "Doesn't... look like much right now, I know. But he's supposed to be good. Scott trusts him." He explained, feeling a little embarrassed suddenly.

"Should he... be napping?" Mason asked, and Liam snorted.

"He can have naps, Mase. He doesn't have to literally watch me every second of the day, besides I'm awake now. I could fight back or call him if something happened."

They chatted for a few more moments before Liam remembered he had brought Mason a little present from set, with permission, and went running off to his room to get it.

He was only gone a few seconds when he heard a loud thump, and a loud yell from Mason. He went sprinting back into the living room, finding Theo standing over Mason, who had been dropped on his stomach with his arms behind his back.

"Holy shit, dude, that's Mason! He's my best friend, I thought you got debriefed!" Liam yelled, rushing forward to help his friend up off the ground.

Theo took a breath and let go, "I did. But I wasn't expecting to wake up to you gone and a stranger staring down at me." He said it, as he did, like Liam was somehow stupid for not knowing that was what happened.

"Sorry, I just... didn't want to wake you to explain." Liam explained with a shrug.

"Sorry." Theo added grudgingly, looking at Mason, who had gotten to his feet once more.

"Not exactly what I meant when I said I wanted a hot guy on top of me." Mason grumbled, obviously sarcastically. Liam laughed along, knowing his friend and his humour well, while Theo looked immediately unsure what to say. Guilty or embarrassed, maybe.

"I didn't realise your bodyguard was living with you." Mason said slowly, "I was hoping to stay here, like I usually do when I come up."

Theo was quick to speak up, "I can stay on the couch while you're here." He turned to Liam, "Or I can sleep in your room, to make sure no one gets in through your window." That hadn't even been a concern before, but given he had big, visible windows and the stalker knew which building he was in (and likely which apartment), he actually wasn't super opposed to it.

"Intense." Mason commented, a hint of innuendo in his tone.

"Not like that." Liam snapped again.

"I have an air mattress," He explained to Theo, casting a look at Mason, "If you want."

Theo nodded his head, "That's fine." The conversation felt so weird and stilted. Theo still looked half asleep, but seemed to be trying to be professional about it. Mason, for his part, was still looking between the two, evidently having gotten some idea into his head that Liam couldn't explain, but he knew wasn't right. Liam was just trying to mitigate the weird conversation.

The three of them stood there a moment longer, before moving back to the couch and trying to have a non-awkward conversation. Eventually, it turned to the stalker situation, and Liam had to zone out. Theo and Mason were discussing what training he had and what he would do if someone were to attack Liam, but Liam was busy scrolling through his social media. He couldn't stop looking for something weird to happen. Something scary.

There were a lot of pictures floating around of him from the grocery store with different fans, but mostly nothing weird. Nothing past what he would normally see.

He went on that way for a few minutes, totally zoned out of their conversations, until Theo cut through his thoughts. He put a hand on Liam's shoulder, another weird moment of niceness that left Liam feeling rattled. "Are you okay?" Theo asked quietly. "Has something else happened?"

He shook his head slowly, "No." He said, before clarifying, "I mean nothing else has happened. I'm fine."

Theo seemed concerned, and Mason just watched the two of them, seemingly trying to figure out what to say.

"Are you scared?" Theo asked, his voice softer than before.

"Yeah, a bit. Especially with Mason staying here."

Theo nodded seriously, "It's gonna be okay, alright? I promise."

Theo got up and went off to make dinner, and Mason turned to him.

"How?"

Liam frowned, confused. "How what?"

"How did you manage to not mention to me that your bodyguard was an absolute smokeshow!"
He raised his brows, looking over his shoulder as if he was concerned Theo might hear Mason.

"Because he's not." He said quickly, though actually, when he'd first met Theo, he'd thought the exact same thing. Theo had just been so rude and unpredictable that Liam had sort of stopped seeing him that way. "He's... a dickhead. He's just a dickhead who's muscular."

"I mean, sure, he might be kinda... a lot, but like... he was pretty sweet to you when you seemed scared...?" Mason said slowly.

"Mason, this isn't a freaking porno, alright? I'm not going to sleep with my bodyguard, let it go."

*

Liam chucked a blanket down onto the blow up bed, a pillow following after it. He felt a bit awkward about staying in the same room as Theo, especially considering they barely seemed to know how to speak to each other, but he figured if they were going to be here for another week until Liam moved back to filming (which they'd both come with him to) he was going to have to get used to them sharing a room.

"So. Boundaries. Do you snore?" Theo asked as he entered the room.

Liam went to answer but forgot how to make sounds when he looked up and saw Theo enter the room wearing only boxers.

"Hello...?" Theo raised his brows, and Liam tried to snap himself out of it, forcing himself not to look at Theo at all, staring at his bed instead.

"Uh, right. No, I don't think so. You do though, for the record."

Theo just rolled his eyes, "Okay. Is there anything else? You don't sleep with a night light or anything, right?"

Liam frowned, "No. I don't sleep with a night light." He felt weirdly embarrassed, but maybe it was because he couldn't bring himself to look at the other man at all.

"Okay, good. Well, I'm going to lay down." He dropped down onto the bed on the ground and Liam climbed up into his own, staring at his phone, determinedly not looking at Theo.

Mason was right, he was a smokeshow. He just so happened to also be the worst, so Liam was going to choose to ignore that as hard as he possibly could.

His phone buzzed. It was from a totally new number, a picture. He clicked onto it, barely considering what he was going to see when he did.

It was him. Another photo of him, another photo of him asleep. This one was from before, he was sure. He was unshaven in it, had scruff that he hadn't had in at least two weeks. He was pretty sure it was in his apartment too. In the bed he was laying in.

He stared blankly for a moment, and another text came through.

This one was a picture of him and Theo. It must have been that split second when Theo had grabbed his hand, because it looked like they were holding hands.

Chapter Text

Liam woke up and immediately thought of the photos again. He was being watched more closely than he'd realised. He had been watched in his sleep more times than he'd thought.

It all made him feel sick to think about, but he didn't want to stop existing because of it. He figured he couldn't just pack it in, disappear. He was trying to be the sort of person his fans thought he was, trying to do the right thing with it all.

He took a photo of himself still lying in bed. All that was visibly was from his shoulders up, and he was pulling a ridiculous expression, but at least it was that connection. Not disappearing on his fans because he was scared. Besides, there was nothing identifying about the apartment in it. Not that it mattered, someone clearly already knew.

He had Theo and Mason here now, he reminded himself, he wasn’t alone. And in a week, they’d all be on set and then they would have a ton more security. He just needed to get through a week in this apartment, then maybe he’d just sell it and move altogether.

He had a text from Hayden, the picture of him and Theo holding hands with only the message ‘????’ beneath it.

This sparked alarm bells in his head and Liam sat up, logging onto his instagram first to see what was happening. There it was. Instantaneous. Fan accounts he’d followed to be nice, that same photo again and again, speculation, questions, commentaries.
So his stalker had posted it. But why? Because Liam wasn’t responding, maybe?

He got out of bed, wandering into the kitchen in his boxers, staring down at his phone. "Have you guys seen this?" He asked, barely hearing the conversation already going on between Mason and Theo.

He held his phone up, waiting for someone to respond, when Theo asked: "Do you wax?"

Liam just blinked at him, momentarily pulled from his nervousness and paranoia, "What?"

"You have chest hair." He said it as though it was obvious.

Liam looked down at himself, then glanced back up. "Yes, what about it...?"

"You don't... have any in the movie." Theo suddenly looked a little embarrassed, like he realised what he'd commented on, and Liam just blinked at him for a moment. He could see Mason behind Theo trying hide to muffle his laughter.

Liam just stared at him a few moments longer. "Uh... Yeah, they... wax my chest because they think I need to look younger. Or smoother. Or... something," He shrugged, "Same reason I shave around filming."

"Oh." Theo said, busying himself with what he was doing at the counter. Liam didn't actually know what that was, but he was trying not to be deterred from why he came out here.

"Did you two see the photo of Theo and I?" He asked, finally returning to the point.

Mason nodded, "Yeah. Scott's coming over to discuss it too. Guess he's been talking to all the people you... have to talk to, I don't know how any of this works." He admitted.

Liam sighed, he was sure they wouldn't be fans of this going so viral, especially since he was meant to be playing into the 'dating Hayden' thing.

He glanced up at Theo, who was still staring at what Liam could now see was his phone, laid flat against the bench, scrolling. "You okay...?"

He asked the question tentatively. He knew that Theo hated celebrities, so going viral for appearing to hold hands with a famous actor was probably not something he wanted from his life.

Theo let out a deep sigh. "Yeah, it's fine." He paused, "I'm obviously part of this now, so we're going to have to figure out how. What our relationship is meant to be. Are we... friends or something?" He asked.

Liam shrugged, "I'm sure Scott and the others will have some ideas about that. But yeah, I'd say it's going to be something like that. A childhood friend thing or something."

Mason chimed in, "Well, you guys grew up in the same town, that shouldn't be hard."

Liam blanked. "Wait, what?"

Theo snorted, "You obviously don't remember me then. I was two years ahead of you in school."

Liam blinked, "Holy shit, is that why you hate me? Because I don't remember you?"

Mason seemed like he was trying very hard to fade into the wall, but currently failing to do so.

"I told you, I don't hate you. I just think your persona is fake."

"Based on what?"

"I remember you from school, Dunbar. You were like, an angry sports kid who had a reputation for fighting. Not this li'l flowerchild dork aesthetic you've got going on now."

"I'm sorry?" Now Liam was annoyed, because he couldn't figure out what he'd done to this guy to make him feel so aggressive about this. "Did I punch you in school or something? Yeah, you're right, I had -- have -- anger issues. I spent a shit ton of time in therapy and I started acting because it helped me learn how to use my emotions in a productive way. You also understand that people can be both angry and dorky?"

"No, you didn't punch me. I just knew of you."

"And?" Liam asked, annoyed, "Why the fuck do you hate me?"

"I don't hate you." Theo said again, more angrily this time. He had taken a few steps closer to Liam, which Liam hadn't noticed until now, because they were quite close together.

"Then what is your problem?"

They stared at each other, Liam hating that Theo was bringing this side of his personality again, but having no idea how to stop it. He just wanted to know why Theo had taken such an instinctive dislike to him. Why he had gone from zero to one hundred every time they spoke.

Why he seemed to condescend him all the time. They were too close, Liam realised. His eyes flicked down Theo for a moment, accidentally, but because he was so close.

"I don't have a problem."

Liam couldn't figure out what was going on here. His heart was beating fast and he felt angry, but he also couldn't bring himself to look away from Theo. It felt like whoever did first lost. It felt like he was trapped there, in his bodyguard's angry gaze.

There was a knock on the door and the two boys jumped away from each other, like interrupted from something Liam didn't understand.

He was absolutely determined to not find Theo attractive, though he had realised (more than once now) that he was failing at that.

Mason opened the door and Scott walked in, staring at Liam. "Why aren't you dressed?" He asked and Liam felt sort of embarrassed.

"I only just woke up." He admitted, running off quickly to get changed.

When he returned, Theo, Scott and Mason were all sitting, talking seriously about the photos and the stalker and Theo's role in it all.

"So, I guess my first question needs to be," Scott said as Liam returned and sat cross legged on the floor, "What actually was going on in that photo?"

"Liam was scared and I--"

"I was nervous about the stalker and--"

They spoke at the same time, before staring at each other, seemingly unsure of who should go on. Liam gestured to Theo, as if to tell him he could give the information.

"He was worried about the stalker because they had sent a photo of this building, and I could tell he was panicking, so I grabbed his hand to reassure him. To just say that I was there and no one would get to him." He explained, "It was literally a second, they must've just gotten lucky with that shot. It looks like something it wasn't."

Liam might've described it differently, but he nodded regardless.

"Okay," Scott nodded.

"Well, I've been talking to people. They want to see that you two are good friends. That Theo is in town, staying with you. They want you to be seen out more with Hayden too."

Something about it didn't sit right with Liam, but he didn't know whether he was being paranoid or not. It felt like they didn't want people to suspect something about him. Something that was true.

"Why?" Liam asked, trying not to sound suspicious.

Scott shrugged, "I didn't ask. But they think it'll help sell the movie more to play on that relationship. Maybe the four of you can be seen together. Corey even, if he's around. It would be great press and it would help integrate Theo into your accepted friend group. Help explain your presence."

Liam still didn't like it. Still didn't like the weird implications around Theo's presence and explaining it away, but he didn't have enough proof to argue anything, so he didn't.

"And what about them? What if hanging out with them puts them in danger or something?"

Scott shrugged, "I don't see how it would. Your relationship with them is public knowledge anyway, Theo's the only change in anything." He explained. "And besides, with everything that's happened..." He sighed.

"Did you call the police?" Liam asked. He knew he had to go through Scott and everyone else because that was what he was supposed to do, but he wanted to know they were at least taking it seriously.

"Yes." Scott nodded. "We gave them all the information we had. The twitter profile, the numbers, the photos. They said they would surveil the area and keep an eye on things, but unless the stalker does more, there's not too much they can do. Right now, there's nothing to lead us to any specific person. The phone numbers were burners. Not registered to anything."

Liam sighed, not knowing what to say in response. “Okay, so... so we just go on this way then. Theo’s just my new best friend who came to town?”

Scott nodded and Theo frowned at the ground. “You guys look the same age and if people stalk him, you did come from the same town.”

“Did everyone know that except me?” Liam asked, feeling a little sheepish.

“Yes.” All three of them answered, and Scott looked confused. “You really don’t remember him?”

Liam shook his head, equally confused by his apparent stupidity.

“Huh. Well, that doesn’t matter. You’ve got to acknowledge it now, so higher ups suggest you do a story or post with Theo in it. Casually drop his name and that he’s a friend.”

Liam got the same uneasy feeling, but he nodded.

“Would it matter if people thought I was dating him?” Liam couldn’t help the words from spilling out.

He couldn’t bring himself to look at Mason or Theo, for awkwardness’ sake, so he stared Scott down instead.

“I don’t know,” Scott admitted. “All I know is, they want the rumours to be you and Hayden. They think it’s better for the publicity of the movie.” Liam wanted to ask what Scott’s suspicion was. Whether he got the feeling they specific wanted him to appear straight as well. He wanted to know because he was ready to argue with some random office execs about it.

“Mhm.” Liam nodded, folding his arms and staring into his lap.

Mason cut in, “So when are the group of us meant to hang out?” Liam suspected Mason’s reasons for asking weren’t entirely pure, considering he was always interested in Corey.

Corey played his best friend in the movies, and Liam really liked him. It worked well, because the three of them (him, Hayden and Corey) actually had formed a little friendship group. They actually did hang out all the time at set. It was just that between shooting they didn’t live as close and had other projects.

Honestly, Liam had always sort of hoped Mason would make a good impression on Corey. He cared a lot about them both, and he thought they’d make a good fit.

“This afternoon,” Scott explained. “You, Hayden and Corey will be starting your junkets soon anyway, so we’re just going to keep Mason and Theo with you in this behind the scenes moments.”

Liam thought for a moment and then added, “If the group of us that normally hang out all do, just plus Theo, won’t people still potentially think we’re a couple?”

Scott sighed again, looking at him, “I’m just telling you what the studio wants, Li. I can’t force you to do it, but it’s probably in your best interests career wise to be seen as easygoing rather than difficult.”

Liam sighed, nodded and got to his feet. He knelt beside the chair where Theo sat and held his phone up.

Theo flinched back, covering his face.

“What are you doing?” He snapped, seeming alarmed.

Maybe it was because Liam had gotten so close, but Liam didn’t want it to look posed and fake. “I’m taking a photo, chill out.”

Liam glanced around, picking up a green pillow from beside Theo, and put it in Theo’s lap, leaning against his chest.

He took the photo of Theo’s face, pillow covering just the bottom of it, his eyes seeming especially green.

‘Missed seeing my bro around town’, he wrote on the picture, before uploading it to his story.

He hoped the ‘bro’ label would be enough the placate the studio, though truly, Liam just wanted to know why that was important at all.

A little while later, the three were getting ready to go out and pretend when Theo stopped by Liam. Liam was looking in the mirror and Theo was stood over his shoulder, looking at him through the glass.

“It bothers you, doesn’t it?” He asked in a hushed tone.

“What?” Liam asked, confused.

“The fact that they’re insisting you have to be friends with me but more with Hayden.” Liam nodded slowly, turning to face Theo. “Obviously it’s not that we are more, we’re not even friends, but... I don’t like feeling like the studio would expect me to hide it if we were...”

Theo nodded. Liam was surprised he had even followed Liam’s frustration at it all during the conversation.

“So... I mean, there’s always...” He trailed off, seeming to think better of it.

“What?” Liam asked, curious.

“We could always... just... drop hints in the other direction.” He offered. “Not enough to get you in trouble, just enough to... I don’t know, throw a spanner.”

A little smile pulled at Liam’s face. “Why?” He asked, curious. “Why would you do that?”

Theo thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Guess I respect that you’re trying to be honest.”

Liam nodded slowly, “Yeah, okay.” He nodded. “What’s a spanner? Like, what sort of thing would this include?”

“Mm, I don’t know. Maybe we just sit a little closer than everyone else. Or just casually lean on each other or... or I could wipe food off your face.”

Liam couldn’t help but laugh.

He found that he liked this funny, devious version of Theo far better than the stony faced and angry one.

“And what about me? I could take a lot of photos of you, or something. Give them innocuous captions but... still. People will eat that up.”

Theo was smiling back, and for a moment, Liam forgot that he didn’t like Theo.

“Or just casually touch your shoulder when I laugh?”

The rest of the day sort of went on that way, Liam and Theo quietly exchanging new ideas of things they could do. Stand a little too close. Make a lot of eye contact. Things that seemed innocuous, but which a paparazzo would absolutely pick up on and exaggerate.

It was funny, because this absolutely wasn’t honest, but it felt more so somehow. At least he wasn’t trying to cover up who he was this way.

It was a few hours later when Liam was getting ready to go hang out with his group of friends that he realised no amount of them hanging out as ‘bros’ would undo that photo. Any amount of hanging out would feed the already persistent dialogue about whether or not they were a couple that flooded his mentions and social media.

If he had a dollar for every time someone tweeted him ‘like this if you’re dating this guy’ with a picture of Theo, Liam would never need to work another day in his life. Hell, Theo probably wouldn’t have to either.

He sighed when he got into the car, Mason and Scott in the front with he and Theo in the back.

“They figured it out.”

“Figured what out?” Scott asked, though Liam had been talking to Theo.

“Who he is. My twitter mentions are full of hashtag-thiam.” He said it with a tired sigh.

Theo’s brows furrowed, “Wait, what?” He leaned over in his seat, staring down at Liam phone. “

“How’d they find out who I am?”

“It’s the internet, man. It’s amazing it took this long.” Mason chimed in with a chuckle.

“They have superpowers for this stuff.” Liam confirmed.

"But... why would they care?" Theo asked, his eyes wide. Liam could've laughed, because he looked genuinely worried for maybe the first time since all of this had started.

Honestly, Liam sometimes forgot what it was like to be surprised about the things people could care about. "There's a photo of us holding hands." Liam reminded him, "They think you're my boyfriend. So they found out who you are. Apparently there's a lot of dialogue about the fact that I don't follow you on social media." He handed Theo his phone.

Theo just stared at it, confused. "What do you want me to do with this?" He asked, looking at Liam like he was an idiot. That was beginning to become a theme.

"Follow yourself on my social media. Obviously." He said with a shrug.

Theo blinked at him, but then did as he was told. When he went to his own account, he spluttered. "My own follower count has gone up. Significantly."

"There's nothing on there about being a bodyguard, is there?" Scott asked from the driver's seat.

"No," Theo answered, quickly, "It can be a liability for people to know. I barely put anything on those pages."

The group of them went quiet for a minute, apparently sitting in the discomfort, before Theo spoke again. "I hate famous people."

There was another beat of silence, then Liam started laughing again. "Congratulations, you're on track to being one."

When they got there, they all piled out of the car and made their way into the restaurant they were meant to hang out at. They had a table booked, and they were trying to just get there without people seeing too much. Undoubtedly there would be photos taken, but it wasn't outside the realm of possibilities that actual photographers or press would be sent to get photos of them together instead.

Still, Liam was excited when he saw Hayden and Corey sitting at the table. "Who let you two in here?" He called from a distance, and the two both got to their feet, Liam running over to grab both of them in a hug at once. It had only been a few days since he'd seen Hayden, but far longer since he'd seen Corey, and the three of them on set really were just a little group of very close friends.

The three swayed in their messy and mildly uncomfortable hug for maybe a little too long, all laughter and excitement to be reunited. Theo, Scott and Mason stayed back a little, not really part of the little group of them. When he pulled away, he dropped down into the seat beside Hayden, leaving the one beside Corey for Mason and just hoping Mason would take the opportunity.

Mason did, moving to sit beside Corey. Scott sat beside him, which left Theo to sit on Liam's other side.

"I can't believe the two-take tikes have been reunited," Liam joked.

The nickname had been given to them by one of the cameramen on set, who had joked about how the three of them together were also constantly laughing, right up until they went to do a take, when they'd almost always get the take done in two takes or less.

Corey grinned, "I've missed you guys. No one else understands my jokes about Nolan's wig or Peter's weird breath that one time."

"Nolan would kill you if he knew you were going on about that wig again."

"It's not my fault it looked absolutely nothing like my hair!" Corey jumped in. "Honestly, why do I even need a stunt double? My character never has stunts."

Liam snorted, "They don't trust you to run, apparently." He joked back easily.
Hayden nodded, "It's a good instinct, honestly. I've seen you trip over a chair at least seven times."

The three all laughed again, before Liam realised he was probably being rude. "Oh, guys, you've both met Mason and Scott before. This is Theo. He's my new bodyguard."
Hayden and Corey exchanged a look, then both said 'oh' at the same time.

Liam sighed, “Tell me you two weren’t buying that crap.”

They looked at each other again and snickered, leaving Liam shaking his head.

“To be fair, you didn’t tell us about him and it did look...” Corey trailed off, ever the voice of reason.

“You forget,” Liam began, taking Hayden’s hand playfully from where it sat atop the table, “Hayden and I are secretly in love. Just ask anybody.”

Everyone was laughing again, but the others were starting to get more involved now too. Scott and Mason chiming in. They’d all met before, it was far harder for Theo.

After forty five minutes of talking and laughing and joking, Hayden turned to Theo, a smile on her face. “So!” She began, a little too enthusiastic, “In your professional opinion, what’s going on with this stalker stuff?”

The table quieted, and everyone listened for Theo to answer.

“Honestly?” Theo began, glancing at Liam, “I’d say it’s a huge fan of his, probably someone who’s followed him for years. Either they got impatient or something happened, but they’re clearly trying to get his attention. Maybe they met him once and it wasn’t enough. Maybe they actually know him and don’t think he’s paying enough attention to them. All this posting on social media and texting him stuff. It’s not just trying to be close to him, they’ve clearly done that already, they’ve been inside while he slept at least twice. They don’t just want to be near him, they want his attention. They want his full attention.”

Theo’s analysis changed the tone of the conversation entirely, and Liam found himself staring at his hands. The thought that it could be someone he knew hadn’t occurred to him at all, but now that it had, he hated it.

The reminder of how close they’d been to him, the reminder that they had no idea how many times or for how long it had gone on, it all made him feel a little sick. He shivered, and he could feel concerned eyes on him.

“So what happens now?” Hayden asked. “Is getting the photos to trend enough or... will they keep going?”

Theo shrugged, “Hard to tell. But if what they’re going for here is ownership over Liam, I doubt we’ve come close to seeing the end of their attempts. That’s why my job is 24 hours.”

Everyone was quiet again, like waiting for Liam to respond. “Well, I guess I’ll find out who wants to wear my skin eventually.” He tried to sound jovial, but he didn’t feel it, and he suspected that was obvious.

“Well, we’ll be back on set in a week, and they’re usually on pretty hard lockdowns. And in the meantime, you’ve got those guys.” She nodded in the direction of his three friends and he snorted.

“It’s pretty cool you all went to school together.” Corey added. “And are all here now.”

Scott had sort of moved with him really, and Mason technically still lived back in Beacon Hills. For Liam, Theo was a coincidence, though he knew he’d wound up working with Theo through Scott.

“I didn’t actually know two of them in high school.” He pointed out.

“Well, yeah, I know, but still. Small world and all that.”

“So we obviously know what Liam was like in high school, given we’ve known him for years, but what about you guys? Mason was Liam’s best friend since like, age three or whatever, but Theo? Scott? What kinds of kids were you?”

Scott and Theo glanced at each other.

Liam couldn’t understand the look, but he was sure it meant something.

“I was on the lacrosse team,” Scott said casually. “Obviously well before Liam himself was. I don’t know that I was that well known. Kinda quiet.”

Eyes turned to Theo, who shrugged, “I was a nobody in high school.” He said, if that was a complete explanation. “I went and I went home. Didn’t really get involved in stuff. Scott only knows me ‘cause our parents were friends.”

It was vague, but the answer was accepted and everyone moved on. They had started telling embarrassing childhood stories, which Liam found funny, but not overly comfortable. He didn’t much like who he was in high school. He hadn’t been a bully or anything, really he’d barely had any friends at all besides Mason, but he hadn’t really worked out his anger issues yet. Even though he was only a few years out of school, he felt like a totally different person. His life had changed so entirely.

He barely offered much to the conversation, but he laughed along when Mason told a story about how he had once started yelling at another kid for calling Liam names and Liam had literally picked him up and walked him off school grounds.

That was a pretty good summary of their friendship though, really. Liam was the one with anger issues, but when push came to shove, Liam would often back down and accept that he probably deserved whatever was being said to him in school, while Mason would run into battle screaming about how Liam deserved better.

It was no great surprise how they managed to stay friends for so many years.

But really, everyone seemed to be getting along well. Theo was certainly the quietest of their group, but it didn't matter too much, he seemed to be mostly engaging, as much as Theo ever engaged with anything.

Liam had known him for barely two days and he felt he knew him so well already. But maybe that was the way he had been with Liam. He had been so blunt and harsh, that was what Liam had come to accept. He wasn't a social person. He was tightly wound and highly strung and probably would never really be Liam's type of person. Probably Liam would never be his either.

That could be fine, Liam thought, as long as they could get along well enough to work together and keep them both safe. Especially now that Mason was staying with them.

Remembering their previous deal, Liam leaned over, wiping a bit of sauce that was currently in the little dip between Theo's lip and his chin with his thumb. Theo seemed surprised, but Liam was sure people would've seen it. Just as he was sure people would've seen him grab Hayden's hand earlier. Good. Let them wonder.

The table went quiet for a moment, and Liam knew the casual action had gotten people's attention. He figured Scott probably knew exactly what he was doing. They’d known each other a long time now, and Scott wasn’t stupid. Maybe Mason too. But Hayden and Corey would likely be confused by it.

“So why body... guarding?” Hayden asked, a friendly smile on her face. “I mean, why not something else? You look like you could be an actor or model or something.”

Liam snorted, and Theo glared at him. “What? You don’t think I could do it?” He asked, all snark.

“Absolutely not, no. You’re pretty enough, sure, but you have the temperament of an angry chihuahua and you have to be really patient with people to do this. And act like you’re interested and excited even when you’re not. I’m not sure I’ve ever even seen you smile.”

Theo scoffed and nudged his shoulder lightly, apparently playing off their ‘we’re friends’ story. “Just because I don’t smile at you, Dunbar, doesn’t mean I don’t smile.”

The table all laughed, as if Theo had won the little dispute, and Liam just rolled his eyes.

The lunch went on without too much trouble. By the time the group left, Liam was sure they would have a great number of confusing pictures to deal with. Liam holding Hayden’s hands.
Wiping food off Theo’s chin. Theo briefly leaning against Liam’s shoulder. Liam hugging Hayden.

The studio had told him to play off potentially being with Hayden, but they’d also told him to convince people Theo was a close friend. He figured he couldn’t get in trouble for doing that too well.

They walked around together for a bit, often stopped for pictures by fans. They often asked specifically for Liam and Hayden, but sometimes it would just be the group or even just Liam. Theo looked nervous every time Liam put his arm around someone, but Liam figured this was part of the job.

It was a few hours before the group headed back, having decided to go back to Corey’s apartment for dinner and a movie. They’d spent most of the day talking, but they’d always been good at that.

As he walked, Liam felt someone bump into him. He turned in time to see a figure retreating around the corner. It wasn’t enough to see who it was, to see anything about them really, all he noticed was their sweater. Because he was nearly certain it was his sweater. The sweater his mom made for him when he was sixteen. It was the colour of his high school sports team, but had patterns knitted into it all around. It was chaotic and overly big on him, but he loved that sweater. He never went anywhere away from home without it.

Liam grabbed Theo’s wrist and the older man stopped, looking at him worriedly. “I could swear I just saw someone wearing my clothes. They bumped into me and got away before I could get a good look.”

Theo nodded seriously, green eyes locked onto Liam’s, “Want me to go after them? What way did they go?” Liam was gesturing, but he knew Theo wouldn’t recognise the sweater anyway, and the person had gotten away so quickly already.

“I don’t think there’s any point, but... Theo, if I’m right, I saw that sweater in my drawer this morning.”

Theo sighed, nodded. “I’m going to need to look through your things when we get back.”
Liam didn’t love the concept, but he’d do what he needed to.

He was beginning to wonder if he was paranoid. If maybe some innocent stranger was wearing a similarly coloured sweater and Liam’s fear was getting the better of him.

Theo seemed to be able to tell the path he was going down, because he patted Liam casually on the shoulder, and actually, Liam really appreciated it. He knew others were concerned about him too, but Theo's job was to notice this stuff, so it made sense he was more conscious of it.

Hours passed, and the group had a good time. They watched movies, casually hung around the house, and Liam watched on with pride as Corey and Mason talked in the kitchen, seemingly hitting it off. He wondered how much of Mason's choice to come out here for the duration of filming was about his whopping crush on Liam's costar. Liam couldn't begrudge him-- he wished he had something like that.

Liam was laying backwards on the couch, legs stretched out, his head on Hayden's lap as they watched scary movies, and Theo and Scott sat casually in the two individual chairs.

The night was fun and calm and easy, and Liam could almost forget.

Midnight came and went, and it was nearly two in the morning when the four left Corey's apartment. Hayden was staying over in his spare bed, but there wasn't enough room for the other four, so Scott was dropping Mason, Theo and Liam home and then coming home himself. Liam offered him the couch, but Scott politely declined. He didn't live far from Liam anyway.

When they got home, the three were all exhausted, and Liam and Theo both headed back into Liam's room. They were both too tired to be as awkward and stunted around each other as they usually were, and Liam had almost forgotten about the sweater entirely until he looked at his set of drawers. He blinked at it, moving closer to it.

Theo had stopped to watch him, apparently noticing the change in his demeanour.

Liam opened the second drawer, and there it was. His sweater. Neatly folded and just as chaotically designed as ever.

He pulled it out, unravelling it, as if he needed to be sure. Everything looked totally normal, save for one thing. At the neck of the shirt, there was a safety pin. A safety pin that hadn't been there before. A safety pin attaching a tiny scrap of paper. On the paper, there was just a heart. Drawn in the same thing as whatever the last note on his bathroom mirror had been, in the same handwriting. Liam just stared at it.

They'd been in his room. They'd walked into him. They were still there, even when Theo was.

Chapter Text

When Liam woke up, the first thing he did was look around the room. Theo was still asleep, laying on his stomach with his arms curled around his pillow. Liam couldn't see his face, but he could see that it was him, and he would lying if he said he wasn't glad to see him.

For all the weird things that had happened in the last few days, and even for the fact that they hadn't stopped when Theo got there, Liam did feel safer with him. Maybe it was a matter of safety in numbers. Maybe it was something else entirely, he only knew he was glad.

He knew he had a whole full day of press junkets, alongside Hayden and Corey. He knew Mason and Theo would be there, probably sitting in the corner chatting during the interviews. He knew he would be around people all day, that nobody could get too close to him, but Liam couldn't shake the weirdness and paranoia of it all.

How had someone gotten into his apartment? How had they taken his sweater and gotten it back in time? How much did they really know?

Worse, Liam couldn't help but wonder what this person wanted? The idea that he knew them had crossed his mind far too many times for Liam to be comfortable. The realisation that he had no idea what they wanted from him, or what they were capable of doing to him or his loved ones, was deeply troubling on top of that.

Would this person hurt him? Would they hurt the people he cared about? Would they just be content to follow him forever?

Liam tried to convince himself that yes, it would, but he knew that couldn't be true. Even in the last few days, Liam could see the behaviour growing.

It felt like they were pushing harder, maybe trying to get some kind of reaction from him. He didn't know what that reaction was meant to be. Whether they wanted him to be afraid. Maybe it wasn't rational at all, maybe he was wasting his time wondering what they hoped for.

He tapped on his phone screen, which was abandoned beside him on the bed, and saw that it was three in the morning. He had to get up at five to get to their day in time, to get their hair and makeup and whatever else done, to get their questions and answers and what they were allowed to say sorted out.

He had two more hours, yet he felt so afraid, so freaked out that he didn't know what to do.

"Theo?" He mumbled the word, mentally chastising himself. Theo already hated him and thought he was entitled, he didn't imagine waking him up in the small of the night would help him any.

But he was afraid, and Theo, for whatever other faults he had, was actually good at calming Liam down.

It was moment before he heard a gruff response. "Liam?" Theo turned back, blinking tired up at the other boy. "Are you okay, did something happen?"

"No, I just... I'm sorry, I have no right to wake you, I was just... I was just spiralling and..."

"It's fine, it's my job," Theo said quickly, bringing a hand up to rub at his eyes, "What can I do for you, Dunbar?"

Liam sniffed, "Just talk to me for a minute? Is that okay?" He whispered.

Theo nodded tiredly, moving to sit up on his air mattress, running a hand through his currently unruly hair. Liam tried, really, consciously tried, not to look too much at him. He tried not to notice the curves of his arms. He tried not to notice the strong, broad shoulders. He tried not to notice how cute his hair looked like this and how enticing his already gravelly voice sounded in the middle of the night.

“Okay,” Theo said, uncharacteristically soft towards Liam, with whom he was most often more blunt than he was towards anyone else. “What do you want to talk about?”

Liam had to seriously think about that, because actually, he’d had no ideas prior to waking Theo. And though he did feel bad, he felt a little better for being allowed to talk to him like this, for not having to lay here alone, worrying someone might be standing over him, watching him.

“What were you like in high school...?” Liam wondered aloud. “Everyone else’s stories went around the other day, but not yours. I can’t imagine you as a kid somehow.”

Theo sighed. “Yeah, that wasn’t an accident, Dunbar, I don’t really like talking about it.”

“Oh... sorry.”

Theo looked up at him for a second, then let out yet another deep, annoyed sigh.

“It’s like I said, I was a nobody. I went to school, I came home. I got suspended a fair few times for truancy and once for fighting, I wasn’t a great kid. I just wanted to escape that place. And now that I have I’m not so keen to go back.”

Liam stared at the ground. It felt like a vulnerable answer, despite the vagueness of it. Like Liam was being let in on something Theo didn’t want anyone to know, though Liam wasn’t sure which part of it he was ashamed of. He wasn’t sure what the soft spot of the story was.

“Well, as you pointed out yourself, I wasn’t any star pupil either. I got distracted a ton, my grades weren’t great... and y’know, I was angry. You pointed it out yourself. I’m lucky that the school was pretty understanding of my IED and nothing too bad went on record because I’m sure that’d follow me around now. There are a few stories out there, but mostly people either don’t believe them or chalk them up to my age.”

Theo eyed him for a minute, like he was measuring something, or reassessing something. “You were popular anyway, though. Friends with all the lacrosse guys.”

Liam snorted, “No, I wasn’t. I was on the team. Hell, I was Captain later on, but I... was not popular. Those guys hated me. They did nothing but harass me all the way through school, it was half the reason I wound up being so angry. I couldn’t help but fight back.”

His expression shifted into something Liam couldn’t read, but finally, he just shrugged, “That’s not how I remember it.”

“To be fair, you weren’t in my grade.” Liam reminded.

“Yeah,” Theo conceded, “But I knew you. Everyone knew you. Even then, there was always something about you.”

Liam’s eyes narrowed. That almost sounded like a compliment.

“Something about me?” He repeated. It wasn’t that he was fishing, exactly. It was more like he couldn’t believe what Theo was saying. In the darkness, he couldn’t make out the colour of Theo’s eyes. But then, he hadn’t been sure in the daylight either. Sometimes he would’ve sworn they were grey as a cloudy day. Other times, he thought they were some shade of green he couldn’t place, but which reminded him of a feeling. That felt nostalgic somehow.

“Yeah, you, uh... have a way with people.” Theo finally said. “Acting or... any kind of fame really is weird. Because your entire career is built off your likability. Or... magnetism, maybe. But your ability to draw someone in anyway. To make them believe in you. Even as a villain, you have to be able to obtain a level of willingness to not just hate them, but to actively want to witness them fall. Or succeed, if that’s your thing. It’s not enough to be a good liar or have a nice voice, there has to be something really... magnetic about you. You always had that.”

Liam could’ve fallen off his bed right there and then. Was Theo talking in his sleep? Had he forgotten to be so condescending and dismissive of Liam’s profession? Or had his opinion just truly changed in a heartbeat?

It had only been a little over a week they’d spent together, but their relationship had become so turbulent. From being something like friends to being something like enemies. Or at least, very unwilling acquaintances.

“I don’t know if I’d say something so nice about myself, but... thanks, Theo. That’s uh, really nice of you.”

Theo shrugged, “I didn’t say it to be nice. I said it ‘cause it’s true.”

“I thought you thought famous people were vapid and vain and fake.”

Theo was silent for a moment, “I do. But you can be all those things and still be engaging.”

“So you still think I’m fake then?” Liam asked, seeming tired.

“No... maybe not. You’re less fake than I thought anyway. I wasn’t expecting how close you, Hayden and Corey actually were. I thought that was scripted for sure. A paid for requirement in a contract somewhere.”

“Damn, I wish they were paying me to be friends with them. That would be the easiest money I ever made.”

Theo snorted, “I mean, you’re kinda paying me to be your friend.”

Liam glared at him, running a hand over his own dishevelled hair. “Okay, but then you’re fucking terrible at it.”

“Am not, I’m talking to you at three am because you’re scared.” Theo defended.

“You literally just told me I was vapid and vain.”

“No, I didn’t. I said celebrities were.”

“I... But you understand the problem with that logic, right?” Liam asked with a frown.

“Sure. But before I knew you as a celebrity, I knew you as a pimply, angry kid running around in gym shorts.”

Liam sighed, shaking his head. “That’s not fair. You don’t get to remember my awkward phase but I don’t remember yours. I have no freaking ammo.”

Theo gave him a grin, and Liam reminded himself again that he wasn’t supposed to be looking at his bodyguard. He wasn’t supposed to be looking at his perfect skin, or the small growth of scruff on his chin, or how soft and floppy his hair looked, or how happy he seemed when he smiled...

“Aha! I made you smile!”

Theo pretended to be annoyed, but he was still kind of smiling at Liam, which made the younger boy feel like he’d won.

“So like, were you the weird, skinny, emo kid in school and now you’re all buff and hot but you look down on other hot people? Is that it?” Liam asked, barely stopping to think before his mouth said things.

This. This was why he was barely ever allowed to do interviews on his own anymore. No social filter.

“Something like that.” Theo said with a chuckle. “More like the weird orphan kid who had no family or friends and always wore black, so everyone avoided him.”

Liam’s heart dropped into his stomach. He’d just been trying to joke around, he had no idea of that. But it hit him. Theo Raeken. He had heard that name before. He remembered seeing it all over the news. His family died in a robbery gone wrong. His mother, father and sister. All this time, Liam couldn’t place Theo at all, but he found a vague image in his mind now. A weedy, quiet kid everyone avoided in the hallways. He always kind of looked a few seconds away from snapping, though Liam wasn’t sure whether it would be anger or sadness or something else entirely. He sure didn’t look like the man he’d become now.

“Shit, man, I—“

“Don’t do it.” Theo said quickly, “When Scott offered me this job I almost didn’t take it because I didn’t want to be around anyone who’d remember the stupid tragic backstory.” Theo said, his voice taking on a closed off and gruff quality it had lacked a moment before.

There was silence for a minute, before Liam decided to pursue a new line of questioning instead. “Why’d you tell me then? I didn’t remember. You could’ve just... never told me.”

Theo glanced up at him, and Liam wished he could read minds. Theo was complicated, Liam was realising. An angry and defensive young man who’d had a horrible life. A family friend of Scott McCall, who sort of had the perfect family with just him and his mother (who sometimes affectionately referred to him as her grandson, since he and Scott were so close). A person who’d turned his life around. A person who’s family had been killed in an act of someone else’s selfishness, and who had dedicated his life to protecting strangers. He was nice to Liam sometimes, and cruel others.

Maybe he was going through more than Liam realised.

“Someone would’ve told you anyway.”

Liam stared down at Theo on the mattress. He needed to stop looking at him. But he just seemed like a different person now. Someone Liam was more intrigued by. Someone he liked better. Theo was... layered. Like an ogre.

He kept eyeing him though, slowly taking note of all the pieces of him he could see now. Not so much physically, but emotionally. He could see some vulnerability to him. Some honesty. He could see a person who was doing his best. A person who used anger to hide vulnerability.

Theo was this strong, unfairly good looking man who seemed put together and stoic, but he was just a person, just like Liam. Liam wanted to remember that for the inevitable next time he acted like a dick.

“You can come sit up here if you’re uncomfortable down there.” Liam said softly. “Bed’s big anyway.”

Theo eyed him for a minute, almost suspicious, then got to his feet and moved to sit on the bed, his legs crossed.

Liam had to remind himself not to look.

“Okay, so... I know something personal about you. Shoot. Ask me something personal about me.”

Theo looked suspicious, and Liam wondered if this was his usual internal state.

“Okay. The IED. How come you don’t talk about it publicly? When did you get diagnosed? How did it like... affect you?”

“That’s way more information than you gave me.” Liam pointed out quietly. “But, um, sure.”

“Did you know that IED, in most cases, forms in young kids who had been the victims of a violent childhood?”

Theo had a crestfallen look, and Liam wondered if that’s how he’d looked when Theo had told him about his own family.

“I didn’t know that, no.” He said quietly, maybe waiting to see if Liam would elaborate on his own.

“Yeah, well... it’s like you told me, I’m not special. My uh, biological dad was a pretty terrible person. My mom kicked him out when I was ten, after I wound up in the hospital. I spent a lot of time in the hospital, but this time was... bad.”

Theo looked like he didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to hold himself. Whatever answers he’d expected from Liam, Liam was clearly giving him far more.

“It was touch and go for a minute there. They thought I might not...” He shook his head, “I was in the hospital for weeks. When I got home, all his shit was gone and I haven’t seen him since.”

Theo was breathing heavily and he looked panicked, “You don’t— you don’t have to tell me more, I didn’t know—“

“You’re right. I was an angry, unbalanced kid. I wasn’t one bit what the people who watch my movies imagine I was. I’m sure none of them have any idea who I really am. But what I show them isn’t fake. It isn’t not real or vapid. It’s the result of years and years of hard work. Of therapy and medication and learning to channel my emotions and... I know I seem really fucking dumb sometimes, but I’m not.”

Theo was silent, waiting to see if Liam was done. When he didn’t speak again, Theo did. “I shouldn’t have said you were fake.”

“It’s fine. You just... didn’t know me.”

“I still don’t.” Theo said softly, “There’s a million things I don’t know about you at all.”
Liam half smiled, “I’m sure you don’t need to know anything that wasn’t already in my file.”

Eyes ran over Liam. He wished he could tell what colour they looked in this light. “It’s not that I need to know it for my job, it’s...”

He trailed off, and Liam just watched him, waited in the darkness.

“It’s that you’re an interesting person. And maybe I do actually wanna know you. Maybe I... am starting to get what other people see in you.”

“You’re not stalking me, right?” Liam said, a hint of a joke in his voice.

“If it was me, I could stop with the creepy shit, right? You’d be right where I wanted you.” There was a smirk pulling at his lips, and Liam could almost swear it was flirtatious. Almost.

“What, half naked, half asleep and half scared?” Liam joked back.

“Half scared?” Theo asked.

“Well, I’m... less scared than I was. You and your ridiculous muscles could beat someone up for me now.”

“I mean, I’m sure the stalker would love to see what I’m seeing of you right now.”

It had taken on a serious tone, and Liam immediately wished it hadn’t. He didn’t want to think about this. He shivered.

Theo frowned, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Liam shook his head. The thought of Theo sneaking in his window, taking photos of him while he slept was absolutely ridiculous. Impossible. Unbelievable. But the thought still had him a little on edge.

“It’s fine.” He said quickly, “It’s probably true. That’s assuming they’re like, obsessed with me in a love way and not a murder way though.”

Theo shrugged, “There’s more overlap than you’d think.”

Liam snorted, “So is that your master plan? Make me think you hate me so I wouldn’t suspect you, open up to me, win my trust, seduce me and then kill me?”

“Trust me, if I was trying to seduce you, this would be a whole different conversation.” He winked, and Liam’s heart jumped, and he had no idea what to make of that. Theo had essentially said he wasn’t seducing Liam. As in, he wasn’t interested. Yet... that sure had sounded flirtatious.

“Well, that’s not entirely true. We’re in the same bed, half naked, talking about our tragic backstories. That sounds like some seduction bullshit to me.”

Theo laughed and shrugged, “Maybe. But you woke me. You invited me up. Who’s seducing who here?”

"I still say you're seducing me," Liam shrugged. "But actually, I think the answer is that we're both just very tired and nobody is seducing anyone."

"You're probably right," Theo agreed. He paused for a moment, like he was contemplating. "So... you don't actually think I'm the stalker, right?"

Liam thought about it for a few moments, really contemplating whether or not he trusted Theo. Completely trusted Theo.

"No... no, I don't think you are. I mean, it would've been a good game plan though, if you were. Come in here acting like you hate me but then getting me to need you."

He snorted, "You make me sound like a psycho. I'm just doing my job, Liam."

"Do you often sit up at three in the morning with people for the sake of your job?"

"No... but I don't usually sleep on the floor of somebody's bedroom with them for a job either. Then again, this is sort of a specific circumstance. Normally, I'm just brought in as a buffer. Not because someone has a specific, dangerous stalker."

Liam sat there for a moment, quieting, his eyes trained on his hands.

He didn't think Theo was a stalker. He didn't know what Theo was like on the inside, really, but Theo on the outside certainly gave a very convincing impression of someone who genuinely didn't think very highly of Liam. For that reason, he really did think that Theo was genuine in his dislike. That he wasn't stalking him. Then again, it was entirely possible that the stalker was coming after him out of hate and not love, he supposed?

He didn't know whether that would be more or less terrifying, actually.

Still, he really had no choice but to trust Theo. Theo clearly knew him from when they were younger, where Liam himself didn't remember Theo at all. Scott had seemed nervous about questions about what Theo was like. Theo had come in here with strong feelings about Liam and here they were, sitting talking at three in the morning.

Even still, Liam somehow felt... presumptuous thinking about this. Like he had no right to think about Theo in that way. Or like... well, if he was being honest, like the guy was physically out of his league. He almost felt stupid for even imagining there was a world in which Theo would... not only want him, but want him enough to stalk him and worm his way into Liam's life.

"So... what's your favourite colour?" Liam asked, trying to change the subject to something less frightening to him.

Theo's brows raised, and he gave Liam an amused smile, "Blue."

Liam half smiled, "I like blue too. But more like... baby blues. The light blue sort of colours."

Theo nodded, still smiling at him, "Yeah, that's what I meant too."

"Is that your favourite?" Theo added, after a moment of apparent hesitation.

Liam shook his head, "Green."

The two just looked at each other for a minute, and Liam wondered if he'd missed something. Some context. Something he should've seen.

"What made you pick acting?"

Liam smiled warmly at the question. There were only good memories there. "I always kind've wanted to do it." He admitted, "I had lessons when I was a really little kid. But my dad wanted me to stop because--" He cut himself off and shook his head, "Not important. When all the IED stuff got bad, my stepdad suggested maybe I take it up again. He said he thought I needed a-" He held up air quotes, "-'creative and emotional outlet'. So I did. I did a few local plays. Nothing big. But a talent scout picked me up and suggested I do commercials. That was how it started. Modelling was really the first thing I started to do okay in. You know... the contacts," He joked, referring to Theo asking if his eyes were contacts, "Then there was Spiderman. I didn't think I'd get it. I really didn't. But I did. Then I sort of... blew up overnight. It was my whole life."

“Huh! I always thought you’d go into sports or something. You were like, the star player, no?”

Liam nodded slowly, “Yeah, I... I was, I guess. But the team were always assholes to me and it just... made me worse. Made me angrier. In my senior year, some kids beat the shit out of me, because they thought it’d be funny to trigger an IED episode. Teachers had to step in, I wound up in the hospital with a few broken bones. I guess it kinda ruined the whole thing for me.”

“Shit.” Theo frowned, “I had no idea. I was already out by then.”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Nobody really knew about that stuff. I don’t talk about it now because... y’know, who wants to support a kid like me? It’s better leaving the... leaving the bad stuff out.”

Theo’s brows furrowed and he seemed disturbed by Liam’s answer. “Liam, there’s nothing shameful about your condition. Or about what other kids did to you. It’s on them for not understanding, not on you for getting treated like shit.”

Liam shrugged, trying hard not to let the conversation get to him, make him sad. “Yeah, maybe, but... people hated who I was then. They don’t anymore. Maybe it’s better I just... stay changed, y’know?”

Theo frowned, “Nah. I like this version better. I liked you back then, actually. I always thought you were interesting.”

Liam’s brows raised, “I thought you said I was angry and shitty or something? Besides, we never even spoke. Did we?”

Theo shook his head, “You were angry and shitty. I liked that about you though. Nobody else had the balls to be angry and shitty.”

It was obviously a joke, and Liam was laughing along too.

The conversation moved on, easy and casual from that point. Hours passed, and Liam nearly jumped out of his skin when his five o’clock alarm blared. So they’d talked for two hours, and Liam felt he knew Theo a lot better. He also knew this meant Theo knew him a lot better too, and while that was scary, he found he was glad.

It wasn’t til hours later he even noticed the text on his phone.

‘I Should Be The Only One In Your Bed.’

Chapter Text

Liam felt like a mess.

He was tired and overwhelmed, and really he probably shouldn't have stayed up late into the night if he was going to have like nine hours of press junkets, but hey, he supposed that was the price he paid for the job he did.

He was sure Theo was tired too, but he barely let on.

He had just turned the shower off and wandered out of the bathroom in a towel when he remembered he shared a room now. He should've taken his shit with him into the bathroom, but that was what sleep deprivation did to you, he supposed. He figured he'd get his things and return to the bathroom, but wasn't expecting to be met with multiple people in his apartment.

He waved awkwardly, "Hi guys." He said, nodding towards Scott, Theo, Mason and Lydia, who stood gathered in the kitchen talking, in visibly sight of the bathroom door. "Forgot to bring my clothes in. Be out in a second." He said, quickly making his way into the bedroom and closing the door behind him.

Well, shit. That was more uncomfortable than he was anticipating being first thing in the morning, but he supposed when the group were all coming along with him to his junkets, it made sense they would all be up and ready. Which meant Liam was holding people up.

He didn't have to worry in any significant way about his appearance, because he would have hair and makeup people there. People whose job it was, weirdly, to make him look good, but also look appropriately normal.

He threw on a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, pulling his shoes on hurriedly, and ran out the door back into the kitchen.

"Sorry about that," He said with an awkward chuckle, "Didn't mean to, uh... flash anyone anything."

“We should be so lucky,” Lydia joked, smiling at him. She was in charge of his PR. Overall, it wasn’t a completely difficult job. He ran his own social media and mostly curated things himself, she was more there for this kind of thing. Specific press meetings and advice about how to handle certain things. She didn’t spend as much time with him as Scott did, but now that the filming and promoting cycles were back, that would change.

Their respective roles in the movie they were currently promoting were only small. Liam’s was biggest, but it was an Avengers movie, not a solo one. Really, they need only have Liam, but since their friendship (and rumoured relationship with Liam and Hayden) was so popular, there they all were again.

“Didn’t see anything,” Scott added with a laugh, miming a Scout’s Honour pledge.

Mason just shrugged and added, “I’ve seen it before, not bothered.”

Theo didn’t say anything, but he did wave Liam hello and Liam wondered if they were back to quietly hating each other.

He hoped not.

"You look exhausted. Not getting any sleep?" Mason asked, an obvious hint of teasing to his voice that Liam's eyes widened at.

"No, but I think that's the stalker of it all." He reminded with a scoff.

"You know, Mason could always stay with me if there's not enough room here?" Scott suggested kindly, and Mason shot him a smile. It was nice that they had become close too-- like a merging of the worlds for Liam.

"It's fine," Theo finally said, "We'll be moving closer to location soon anyway. I can sleep on the floor a few more days."

The group started moving and within a few minutes they were all in a black car, being driven to their location for the day. It was in a hotel, per usual, and Liam was being prepped by Scott and Lydia about what he was and wasn’t being allowed to say. The studio was always most prescriptive with Liam, because Liam was most likely to get excited and overshare details.

He couldn’t mention who the villain was. He was not allowed to confirm who any villains were. He couldn’t confirm if any other main heroes were in the film. He couldn’t confirm if his and Hayden’s characters would get together. He couldn’t confirm anything, really.
All he could do was hint. Liam was relatively used to the drill, but he still worried, and evidently so did they.

Theo gave them all a look, “Isn’t this all kind of obvious?” He asked, and a laugh echoed through the spacious car.

“You clearly don’t know Liam.” Scott laughed brightly, “All he does is spoil shit constantly. Fans love it, studios don’t. Hayden and Corey will be ready to cut you off if you saw more also.”

“What did you spoil?” Theo asked, curious.

Liam’s face reddened, he could feel it. “I spoiled that Peter Hale would be in the first movie. People didn’t know if there’s be crossover or not...” He admitted shyly.

The car broke out laughing again and Lydia chimed in, “It’s funny now. It wasn’t funny then. They wanted his neck.”

“That seems to be a running theme with Liam,” Theo commented sarcastically and people laughed, but Liam realised it was kind of true, and Theo now knew more about that than a lot of this car did. His dad. The kids from school. The stalker.

“Maybe I just bring it out in people,” Liam managed, but his smile was strained.

He almost felt weird about the comment being made at all, but reigned himself in, forced himself to remember that Theo wasn’t trying to imply anything bad, he was just joking.

Still, Theo seemed to have caught it. From his seat beside Liam, he gave his hand a momentary squeeze, then pulled his hand back into his lap as though nothing had ever happened. It was a moment of reassurance, and Liam was left asking if it was an act of protection from his job or an act of friendship.

“Okay, so remember—“ Lydia began quickly.

“Come on guys, he’s not stupid. He’s got it.” Theo interjected, and he was thrown a couple of mildly surprised looks. Mason had witnessed their row only a few days before. Scott had heard them say they didn’t like each other. Lydia was probably more surprised because she was being told to stop quizzing him.

“So...” Theo tried to change the subject, clearly trying to give Liam a much needed break. “How are things going with your new girlfriend, Scott?”

Liam’s ears perked up. New girlfriend? “You have a girlfriend?” He cut in, a grin pulling at his face.

“Uh, yeah.” Scott seemed bashful. “I mean, it’s all really new and everything, which is why I didn’t mention but...” His smiled pulled wider, “I really like her.”

“Congrats, dude, that’s awesome!” Liam said brightly, grinning at his agent and manager. “Can’t believe you told this weirdo before me.” He nudged Theo, who feigned offence, in the side.

The conversation went on, Scott gushing about how happy he was, Lydia quietly reading over her own notes, the rest of them listening happily.

By the time they got to the hotel it was nearly six, and Liam was running late. Thankfully, there wasn’t much to be done to him. Fixing his hair and covering blemishes on his skin. No matter how old he got, Liam just never had completely clear skin. He always had a pimple here or there.

He resented people who had perfect skin in a weird, joking way. Scott, Theo and Mason. He’d never seen any of them with pimples.

They wouldn’t need cover like that before an interview.

Kira was grumpy with him because, in her words, ‘he obviously wasn’t sleeping enough to look pretty’. Kira was always his hair and makeup person, and he’d come to be good friends with her, so he didn’t mind the mocking much.

While they sat, others wandered around getting things ready. Confirming questions, perhaps, or making sure there was security on doors, which left him and Kira alone to chat. It was innocuous enough at first, questions about families and summer breaks and other jobs when Kira seemed to hone in on something.

“Is it true you’re dating the guy from the picture?” She asked, a kind of excited and conspiratorial look on her face.

“Come on, Kira, you know better than that. It’s just a leaked photo. Nothing to it.”
She frowned, obviously put off by this news. “Damn. You guys looked nice together,” She said with a smile, focusing on fixing his hair and the one piece at the back that insisted on sitting upright every so often.

Liam half smiled, “Well, thanks. But there’s really nothing to the rumours. I’m not sure it’s a good idea for me to be dating at the moment anyway,” He admitted with an easy shrug.

“That’s all good. I’d heard you were living together, so I thought—“

“Wait, who told you that?” He asked, confused.

“Uh, it was all over twitter this morning, I think. Don’t really know what the source of it was though. I just saw the trend.”

It was still far too surreal to Liam that shit as benign as this had people interested. That they really cared who Liam dated at all.

But he remembered all the kids who came up to him at conventions and asked him to hold pride flags or told him stories about their own lives, and he was reminded why he felt so strongly about not pretending to be straight for some old dude in a suit somewhere trying to make him more ‘marketable’.

Maybe it wasn’t the worst thing that people thought they lived together. It wasn’t Liam’s fault, so he couldn’t get in trouble, but it would allow them to mess with people a little more.

When he was finally done, he finally got to see Corey and Hayden again. The three had to take photos first, most of which were silly, given that was how the three were marketed. The kids of marvel. The funny ones. Their weird trio. So it was easy for them be convincing in photos and interviews. Theo had said he was surprised the friendship was real, but every bit of it was.

The questions were always fairly standard, and while their relationship was genuine, they did ham it up a bit for things like this. Laughing louder, joking more, being a little more outgoing.

The day went alright, but by the tenth interview of the day, Liam was exhausted. He could see the others were as well, and he was pretty sure he had seen Theo napped in a chair on the other side of the room at one point. Bastard.

It was around interview number fifteen that things took a slight curb. It started easily, the usual questions and games. Never Have I Ever or Who Said It or similar things. Theo was right, their job was just being likeable. Liam had never thought of it like that before.

Halfway through the interview, the woman spoke. “So Liam. I can’t help but ask you about all the twitter drama.”

Liam blanked. “Twitter drama?” He asked, confused. He’d barely been online since all the stalker stuff started. He tried to still be around a little, but he was... hesitant and a little less likely to read through things.

“Hashtag-Thiam versus hashtag-Layden!” The interviewer said like it was obvious.

Liam wished he didn’t know what those words meant, but he did. He tried not to let his real reaction show on his face, because he was sure Lydia wouldn’t have approved this question and he was beginning to feel his skin crawl at the thought of any of his life being watched so closely.

“Oh, yeah.” Liam managed, chuckling awkwardly.

“There’s no twitter drama needed. The group of us are all great friends and we’re super glad Theo had come around to join us. Our little gang keeps growing.”

Hayden. Hayden was an angel, Liam was convinced. She had always been a great friend to him, but she didn’t have to save his ass like that.

“Exactly what she said.” Liam said brightly, “I’m lucky to be surrounded by so many awesome friends. And I’m lucky people care so much what I’m doing, though I’m not sure they’re going to get the answers they’re looking for.”

Good. He was happy with that. It was innocuous and vague enough that people would still speculate about what it meant, but it didn’t actually mean anything.

Corey jumped in, “Well, personally, I’m offended. Where’s hashtag-Lorey? Or... Ciam? We’re cute as hell.”

And just like that, the conversation was back to casual and innocent joking. His friends were genuine angels and he would have to tell them so later.

By the time lunch rolled around, Liam thought he might actually eat Hayden if it came to it. When his stomach rumbled particularly loudly, he made that joke, which left a few of his team looking at him with concern. Scott would no doubt have organised food for the group, which was a god send.

They sat around on the floor of the big hotel room they were filming in, eating and chatting about things. Press had been asked to leave and only the actors and their teams remained.

Corey and Mason sat close side by side and Liam prayed something would finally happen there. Liam, for his part, had scoffed his food too quickly and now lay cross legged on the floor with his head on Scott’s lap.

“Alright, whoever had money on Liam spoiling something by noon owes me ten bucks.” Mason told the group, and both Scott and Hayden swore.

“Wait, what? You guys were betting on when I’d fuck up? All of you?” He looked around, frowning. It was only silly, but he felt like he should at least get to know about it. It wasn’t like the spoiling was intentional. Plus he wanted to be part of the joke.

“My money was on first interview,” Hayden admitted.

“I said before ten.” Scott chimed.

“My money’s on before two.” Corey added, like it was nothing.

“Before three,” Lydia confessed.

Everyone in the room had bet, and Liam stared at Theo when he realised he was the last to admit to his bet.

“My money was on you not spoiling it at all.”

Liam huffed, “You may as well just give your money to Theo now, because it’s not happening.”

“Hey, don’t be like that,” Scott laughed, patting Liam’s head and he sat up.

“Hey! My leaning is a privilege, you just lost your privilege.” Scott just laughed more at that.

If Liam was honest, he couldn’t believe his luck. A few years ago, he was a teen in a nowhere town, with no friends, no ability to handle his feelings and no real motivation. Now, only a young adult, Liam had a career pretty much mapped out. A role like this almost included a career. Not to mention the friends he’d made.

He got up and, plopping himself down beside his bodyguard, dropped down so his head was on Theo’s legs instead. Liam was sure Theo didn’t want him there, but hey, it didn’t matter much to Liam. He was doing it more for the sake of the meme than because he actually wanted to lay on Theo. People were still laughing though, and Liam felt privileged to have friends he could make laugh.

“Stay still.” Theo said from above him, leaning down closer over his face to try to get something on his face, though Liam couldn’t see what. He just stayed totally still and watched Theo’s face.

He watched the way Theo’s eyes narrowed as they stared at his face, He decided that today they were something like teal. Something between grey and green and blue.

He took note of how long the boy’s lashes were too long, and how he was close enough he could probably count them.

“Eyelash.” Theo finally pronounced, holding it out to Liam, who smiled at it. “Gotta make a wish.”

“Thanks.” Liam said quickly, blowing it off his finger and trying to think of a good wish.

He wished he could think of a more interesting wish than 'I wish someone would stop stalking me', but that was what he currently had. And while he didn't believe in the power of eyelashes, there was something about the setting, and the people, and the fact that it was Theo, that made him want to play along.

Of all the people Liam wasn't particularly expecting to tell him to wish on an eyelash, Theo had to be right up the top of that list.

Theo had been kind to him when he had been afraid and vulnerable, though maybe not for the sake of being kind, so Liam figured the least he could do was... be nice back.

One of the interviewers returned to the room after the lunch break, supposedly to tell them they were going to start back up soon and Liam jumped up from his position on Theo's lap. He supposed that wouldn't be the look the studios wanted, and he couldn't exactly brush that off as easily as he had his other 'hints'. Besides, if they saw him jump up, it looked more sus. A part of Liam really wanted that.

He was still pissed they were dictating who he could be seen to be dating at all. Not that he and Theo were anything close to dating, but still. Let people think that. Let the studio deal with the aftermath. Why should Liam have to hide a damn thing?

They got back into interview positions, the other parts of the team returning to their sitting positions on the other side of the room, the conversation apparently going on without Liam, Corey and Hayden, who set back up, Liam in the middle and the other two on either side.

Liam found it easy to banter with different interviewers, excited when they brought up things about him others might not have known. One brought up that he was in a band, which had been at the back of Liam's radar for a while because of all the work stuff, but which was something he loved and was excited about.

Liam got to talk about their kind of music and when they were going to release new music.

Actually they'd had some in the pipeline for a while. The band wasn't that well known, more on the smaller or indie side of things, but Liam hoped it would catch on, because he really did love doing it. And he liked his bandmates a lot too.

He talked casually about them, about Brett and how good he was on bass. About Matt and how he was a great dummer. About how he and Allison had been writing music together for years now. And he really was close to them all. He'd just been letting things slip lately because of his paranoia about everything.

He talked to another interviewer about her job, and how he was a fan of her youtube channel and watched it in his spare time, which she seemed to love.

He played a few more games of Never Have I Ever, wherein everyone jokingly discussed how Liam was a known terrible driver, and how he totaled his first ever car when he was barely out of school and was barely ever trusted to drive these days.

The day went on and things kept going. He saw Scott giving him a thumbs up when he fondly discussed his friends and how well he got along with the other superhero actors.

He told an anecdote about him and Peter going out to get ice cream at two o'clock in the morning the first month they worked together and talked about how he and Derek had bonded over the comics on which their characters were based.

Overall, Liam thought he was doing a good job, no spoilers, nothing he shouldn't have said.
And despite the general worrying theme of people either hinting at or straight up bringing up the supposed 'twitter war', Liam had a decent day. When it was drawing to a close he was exhausted, and ready to do just about anything other than that, but he still had to wait until it was all really over.

When it finally ended, the three of them all looked -- and Liam could guess probably all felt -- like their eyes were hanging over their heads. These days were long, and the whole procedure was to be as charming and likeable as possible. It worked fine, but Liam knew it could take a toll trying to be charming when you were exhausted.

That was also why conventions were so hard.

Theo was right. His job was based on his ability to engage people, to make them like him, and sometimes, Liam really felt like he wasn't good enough at that.

He was glad to have his friends with him. It was easier to bounce off them than to do it all on his own. Though he would have to do ones on his own soon enough too.

The day ended and he walked back to Lydia, Mason, Scott and Theo, who were stood around waiting for him. He felt like he had an actual entourage. He'd never wanted one, but he figured if he actually liked the people, it couldn't be so bad.

"Nailed it," Lydia said when he walked over.

"Won me like fifty bucks too." Theo added, having bet that Liam wouldn't spoil anything at all. Liam beamed at him, happy to have repaid Theo's faith in him. Or backing of him, at least.

"Pays to bet on me," Liam said with a smile, nudging him. Theo returned it, and for a second he wondered if their conversation actually had overcome all this.

Then Theo added, "Still fake though," and the moment was broken.

"On that note... I've been speaking to the execs today. They have a whole plan. They want to put the three of you, plus whoever else you need, Mason and Theo included, up in a house together. Your location would be locked, it would be fully secure, but they think it's safer than having the lot of you rent or buy individual apartments." Scott explained, his tone serious, like he was anticipating some push back from Liam.

"Fine." Liam said easily. "Did Corey and Mason agree?"

"Their managers did."

Liam nodded. "Okay, yeah, fine. If there's security, and we're all together and it's safe then... yeah, it's probably a good idea. It'll be easier for filming and stuff I imagine too."

He supposed this was good for them in other ways too. They were probably hoping that the three of them would make instagram stories and tiktoks and that their relationship would go on fuelling the popularity of the project, keep it in the public eye and mind. In fact, he would be willing to bet that was somewhere in the fine print of them being put up like this, which was... unusually generous, in Liam's experience.

"And you?" Liam asked, looking up at Theo, as if to clarify that he, too, was okay with it.

"It's my job, Liam." He had a way of making Liam feel extremely stupid, which was something Liam both resented, but had come to expect from Theo.

"I know, but... I don't know. You don't have people you want to get back to...?"

Theo just gave him a look, and Liam wondered if he was supposed to understand some context that he didn't. "No, Liam. This is my job. Twenty-four seven. If you go there, I'm being paid to come with you. Remember?"

Liam just nodded, feeling weirdly embarrassed. "Right, right."

Hayden approached, and Liam happily transitioned to talking to her, having felt weird in this conversation suddenly. He walked off with her, and the three wandered around the hotel looking for the bar until they were allowed to leave. There were things that had to be done, conversations and finalisations and probably payments of some kind, but it wasn't their business, so the three of them were let free.

Liam was surprised he wasn't followed by his bodyguard, but it became apparent relatively quickly why.

It wasn't that he wasn't being followed, it was that he wasn't very observant.

Liam, Hayden and Corey were sitting by the bar chatting when Liam caught sight of him, sitting in a booth on the other end of the bar with a beer in front of him, staring at his phone. Close enough that if something were to happen, he could get there.

Liam felt a moment of fondness and then reminded himself that this was Theo's job. He wasn't doing this because he cared, he was doing it because he was being paid.

Still, he got to his feet, excused himself, and walked over to sit across from Theo in his little booth.

"I'm starting to think you're stalking me." He joked.

Theo gave him a look, but Liam could've sworn he could see fondness in his eyes, and he had the egotistical thought that maybe he was actually winning Theo over. Liam thought he was a good person, and he certainly didn't think he was the vapid, shitty thing that Theo had initially thought he was. He hoped Theo would see that, eventually. Maybe he already was.

"You're the one who came over here to me." Theo pointed out, a little smirk on his face.

"Sorry you had to sit around and watch that all day," Liam said halfheartedly.

Theo's lips pursed, like he was restraining a laugh, "Liam, I don't know how many times I need to say this. It's literally my job. My job is to sit around and make sure no one attacks you. That does generally involve just watching boring shit for hours."

Liam half smiled, "So it was really that boring then?"

Theo shrugged, "Parts of it were alright. I didn't know you were in a band." He admitted.

"I thought you followed me on social media...?"

"I do. But I don't check it or anything. I'm barely on social media. I, uh, looked you up during it. You guys, I mean. The band."

Liam perked up, his eyes widening. "And?"

Theo eyed him for a moment, and finally relented, "It was really cool. You're a good singer. I didn't know. So you really are just one of those people that's good at absolutely everything."
A smile lit up Liam's face like a lightbulb, excited to hear that Theo liked it. He had come to value Theo's opinion, maybe because Theo didn't really like anything he did, so when he did, Liam took it as a real accomplishment.

"So should I expect to meet the guys from that band too?" Theo asked.

"Do you need to?"

"I mean, it would help." Theo admitted with a shrug, "I don't want to scare you talking about this stuff, but there's a chance it's someone you know. They knew where you were staying, knew where your apartment was, they're clearly very obsessed with you. It could be someone you've never met, but there's... there's also a chance it's someone in your life. Now, because of who you are, there are a lot of people in your life. Cast, crew, executives, extras, help, now bandmates. The more of them I get to meet, the easier it's going to be for me to get a feel of who I think might be a threat."

A shiver ran down Liam's spine. Someone he knew. He tried to picture one of his best friends or even a crew member or cast member or anyone at all he knew doing this.
Sneaking into his room in the dead of night to take pictures, watching out his window. He blinked, a moment of panic running through him.

Liam was good at forgetting from time to time. Getting focused on his career or on fans or on anything else, but sometimes it all came back into glaring focus.
Stalker.

They had been so close to him, god knew how many times.

Liam felt a hand on his and he looked down at his own hand, which was gently covered by Theo's.

"It's going to be okay," He said slowly, "We'll figure out who it is. We'll get them to stop." He promised, his eyes locked on Liam's.

They were green today, Liam noted. A mossy green, he thought. He was never good at placing the exact shade.

"What's the endgame here?" Liam wondered in a soft voice. "Taking photos of me and taking my things... they're trying to get to me, obviously, but... where is this going? They can't just keep doing this forever, right? Are they... hoping I'll fall in love with them? Are they going to hurt me?" He asked, his voice hushed.

Theo frowned seriously, eyes still locked on Liam. "I really don't know." His voice was far gentler than normal, nearly a whisper. "But it doesn't matter. It won't ever get to that."

Liam nodded slowly, feeling a little more reassured by Theo's comments, though Theo really had no way of guaranteeing that.

Just then, his phone vibrated on the table, both Liam and Theo looking down at it. Liam turned it over, and they both watched the message appear. An unknown number.

'I Love Your Star Wars Sheets.'

The message was weirdly innocuous at first, especially since Liam's blanket at home was heather grey, and he absolutely didn't have Star Wars sheets as an adult.

But then it hit him. He knew where he did have Star Wars sheets. In his childhood home, where his parents were.

Chapter Text

“What does this mean?” Theo asked, looking down at the text. The writing was always the same, every letter a capital, short, truncated sentences.

“I… I think it’s my home. As in, my childhood home. I had Star Wars sheets all the time, and my parents left my room intact in case I ever wanted to come home as an adult. I think… I think they’re trying to tell me they’re… with my parents.” He admitted, feeling panic rising in his chest.

“Liam, breathe,” Theo’s voice was quiet, calm. “Come.”

He got up and began walking, expecting Liam to follow. Liam forced himself to do the same, to get to his feet, to walk behind the older man.

He trusted Theo, he realised. He was following because he trusted him. Because he believed Theo would stop anyone from hurting him, because he truly believed the bodyguard would do the right thing, even if he really did hate Liam. Honestly, Liam was finding that he kind of liked Theo. As rude as he could be, he was authentic at least.

But Liam didn’t have time to consider the consequences of that, because he was too busy panicking about his home. About his family.

When Theo finally stopped, they were outside of the hotel bar, outside of the hotel altogether, in an alleyway behind it. There was nobody else around, just him and Theo.

Theo took both his hands, and Liam gripped onto them too tightly, his knuckles turning white. Liam had always had problems with things like this. Usually they came out in anger, but Liam didn’t feel angry right now. Liam felt terrified. He felt like his stomach was full of ice, like that ice was crawling through his veins. He had no idea what to do. What to feel. They were hours away, he’d never get back in time.

“Listen to me, Liam.” He said softly. Liam tried, really tried, to listen. “You’re alright. You’re safe. Your parents are safe. Don’t forget, you hired a bodyguard for them too. Besides, this person has sent you things from before before today. They sent you a picture of you asleep from weeks ago, didn’t they? They’re holding onto things to frighten you. They’re winding this out, trying to get your attention. They’re probably nowhere near your home, they’re probably here, and they have that information from months ago and they’re using it now.”

When Liam spoke, his voice sounded hysterical and disjointed, “But they still know where they live, Theo. They know where my parents live. If my parents get hurt, it’ll be my--”

“Don’t.” He said quickly, “Don’t meet the worst case scenario at the door, we have no reason to believe anything has happened to your parents.” He pulled his own phone out and began dialing. Liam didn’t remember giving him his parents phone numbers, but he figured Scott had probably done it. If not Scott, Mason. They both loved Liam’s parents too, had known them for years.

After a moment, Liam heard Theo speak.

“Hello, is this Jenna Dunbar?”

A silence.

“I’m sorry, Jenna Geyer. I’m Theo Raeken, I’m your son’s bodyguard. He’s just received a troubling text about your home. I was wondering whether his bed currently has Star Wars blankets on it?”

It was an odd question to begin with, but Theo sounded calm and resolute, which his mother would likely respond to.

“Good to know. I think it might be a good idea for you to come out here for a little while, be near Liam. A hotel or something. That way you can see each other and you can be in a location they hopefully won’t be able to follow. Under an alias. I can help find you a place, it’s sort of my speciality.”

More silence.

“Absolutely, Jenna. I’ve got him.” He looked at Liam, gave him a reassuring little smile. “I look forward to meet you soon, as well. Please let us know all your information as soon as you have it. We can come get you from the airport, make sure you’re all accounted for and together.”

A longer pause. Theo nodded as he listened.

“Absolutely. I promise. He’ll be safe…” More nodding, “Thank you, Jenna. I’ll keep you updated. Feel free to save this number.”

He hung up and Liam just stared at him dumbly. He’d handled the whole thing so deftly, so quickly, and Liam truly didn’t know how he had that much skill. Maybe it was just that he had no emotional investment in his, but it didn’t matter. One of his hands was still in Liam’s, and Liam hadn’t even noticed. His hands felt numb and his knuckles were white. He must have been hurting Theo.

“Your mum said there aren’t even Star Wars sheets on your bed right now,” Theo said in a calm voice. “I think this person is trying to get your attention. Going for you wasn’t enough, so now they’re going to for people you care about. They’ve shown no signs of violence yet, keep in mind, just obsession.”

That absolutely didn’t make Liam feel any better, but he didn’t want to say that, because he could practically feel Theo trying to do the right thing, trying to find the right words. He was calmer than Liam could’ve ever been were the roles reversed, and he thought that Theo was actually probably in the perfect job.

“But… they’ve still been there,” Liam said softly, “And… you said going after me wasn’t enough? What does that mean? You think they want something from me they’re not getting?” He asked, his voice an urgent, anxious whisper.

“Possibly.” Theo said softly, “You haven’t been responding. You haven’t been giving them any… room to get close to you. They’re trying.”

Liam’s breathing quickened, “I just don’t understand. That message, the one about them wanting to be in my bed…” He frowned, terrified, “Do they think this is going to end in some kind of love story?” He asked. “Is this person… Are they going to actually try to do something to me?”

He knew Theo couldn’t actually know the answer, but Theo seemed to know better than anybody else, and he figured it was absolutely the best that he had. The only option he had, really.

Theo took his other hand again, holding both again. “You need to breathe, Li.” He said in a soft voice. “Come on, breathe with me. Deep breath in, let’s go.”

Liam stared at him like he was crazy, but when Theo breathed heavily in, Liam copied. A slow breathe for 5 seconds. Hold it for five seconds. Breathe out for five seconds.

Again.

Theo stared into Liam’s eyes and Liam stared right back. He didn’t know how Theo had become a point of reassurance, how he had crept into Liam’s life, but he had, and Liam wasn’t sure anybody else could have calmed him down like this.

He was sure there were others who could try. Scott or Mason. Hayden or Corey. People who loved him and who he loved, but who really just wouldn’t know the right way to speak to him. The way he reminded Liam that his parents would be fine. That this person was here for his attention. That Theo was there protecting him.

Liam was getting attached. He knew it was stupid, he knew it made no sense, but he was becoming attached to Theo. To the way he had looked after Liam. To the honest, albeit sometimes rude way Theo spoke to him.

He didn’t have the time or the energy to get attached to someone knew. As it was, his life was too busy. As it was, he knew Theo didn’t like him. He knew Theo was out of his league. He knew a whole plethora of other things that made it wrong, but he liked being around him. He liked trying to figure out the colour of his eyes. He liked the feeling of Theo’s hands holding his. They were soft and warm, bigger than his, and he let Liam absolutely crush them in his panic.

They kept breathing and after a few moments that felt like several minutes, Liam could feel his breathing regulating again, his heart rate calming.

“What if being around people puts them in danger?” Liam asked in a soft voice.

Theo frowned. They were still in an alleyway, and it didn’t smell particularly pleasant, but Theo led Liam by the hand to the opposite wall of the alley and sat down against it. Liam followed after him, and Theo talked to him in a soft, purposeful voice. A kind voice.

“You’re not putting anyone in danger.” He said quietly. “There’s nothing to suggest this is danger. The police are aware, they’re trying to track any text that comes to your phone. You’ve got security and you’ll have even more soon. If anything bigger than this happens, if you get hurt or your parents do or anything similar, they’ll postpone filming, they’ll get you somewhere safe.”

Liam stared down at the ground in front of him, his hand still entwined with Theo’s. Liam didn’t want to let go. He needed the comfort, and Theo’s hand made him feel better. He didn’t feel so alone. He didn’t feel so overwhelmed.

He felt like that hand was keeping him from drowning.

“Theo, what if this person… if they’re upset that they’re not getting my attention enough… what if they try to get rid of people who are getting my attention?” He whispered.

Theo frowned. He didn’t have any good rebuttal to that. “You’re going to put your parents up in a hotel.” He said softly, “You’re going to look after your friends. Liam, Mason, Hayden, Corey, they’ll all be with you in the house. The studio will make sure you’re all safe. Hidden away. Scott and Lydia will probably be brought along or at least afforded a similar level safe house.”

“And you?” Liam mentioned. “If the stalker believes we’re dating then…”

“Li,” Theo’s voice was soft, and Liam wasn’t sure when they’d gotten to the point of having nicknames for each other, but he was weirdly proud of it. It felt like they were almost… actual friends. Almost like Theo actually cared about him, past the money Liam was putting into his bank account to be with him right now. “I’ll be with you. Nothing’s going to happen to me.” He said quietly, “And anyway, if this person has been into your house, they very likely know I’m just an employee.” He pointed out.

Liam nodded slowly. Just an employee. Maybe that was the problem. Liam needed to go back to thinking of Theo as just an employee. He was getting too involved.

“Do you normally hold hands with your employer?” Liam asked, trying hard to regain his calm, likeable personality. The personality he’d worked so hard to curate and to protect.

“No.” Theo said softly. He looked up at Liam, as though he was contemplating saying something, but then he reached out his spare hand and brushed a bit of Liam’s hair back away from his face. “But… you need me. So I’m here.”

Liam didn’t know what that meant. That it wasn’t normal but that it was something he had to do for the sake of his job? That it wasn’t normal but… Liam wasn’t the normal client? And what did it mean if he wasn’t?

Liam felt goosebumps rise where Theo had touched him, and he had to work not to actively, visibly shiver. A week.

They’d known each other just over a week.

He had to remind himself of that, but it was beginning to feel like longer. After the serious conversations they’d had, and all that Theo had helped him through in such a short time… It felt like a trial by fire almost. But maybe that was the nature of sharing a room with another person. Maybe that was what happened when you bonded over shitty high schools at three o’clock in the morning.

“They knew you were in my bed.” Liam pointed out softly. “They knew it and they…” He frowned, staring at the ground. “They were jealous of it. What if they come after you?”

Theo shrugged, “I’m going to be really honest here, Liam. There’s every chance they would’ve come after me anyway because I’m a bodyguard. I stand between you and them, it’s my job. It’s what I’m being paid to do. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but the stalker believing we’re close doesn’t really change much. I was a threat to them whether I stood a foot away with black glasses on and never spoke to you or whether I walked around with you being friends. It wouldn’t have mattered. But it’s better they come for me than for someone else. I can handle myself. If I’m a threat instead of Mason, that’s what we want.”

That wasn’t what Liam wanted. Sure, he didn’t want anyone going after Mason either, but he wasn’t sure why either had to be an option.

He frowned, “Hayden then? Corey even? Anyone who might seem like a threat?”

“They have security too.” Theo told him, “We have a bodyguard group chat. We coordinate where you’re going.”

Liam had no idea that was even remotely a thing and he had no way of knowing whether or not it was a good thing or how he was supposed to feel about it. He tried to joke, though his voice came out sort of weak and crackly when he spoke. It reminded Liam of how he felt after an IED episode, though his had been far closer to a panic attack.

“Is that where you bitch about me?”

“A little bit.” Theo smiled, maybe trying to help Liam to feel better. “I tell them how you walk around half naked in front of me all the time.”

Liam balked, “No, I don’t!” He defended, offended.

“You absolutely do. I’ve seen you half naked a ridiculous amount of times.”

Had he? Liam frowned, “Well, we share a bedroom. Neither of us sleep with shirts on.” He defended.

“Sure, but you walk around in your pyjama pants. I put a shirt on as soon as I wake up.”

“Well, that’s your loss.” Liam snapped, momentarily forgetting his panic in favour of defending himself against Theo’s attack on his comfort levels. Liam liked being naked. He used to sleep naked, before he knew people watched him in his sleep and before he had a genuinely worryingly attractive bodyguard. “It’s better that way. And-- and you should be so lucky.” He scoffed, his face scrunching into a pout.

Theo was looking at him, and Liam couldn’t figure out the look. There was a tiny smile on his face, and actually, for a moment, Liam thought it might be fondness. Or something else. Something like that. But he couldn’t place it.

His green eyes were locked on Liam’s as he smiled, and Liam suddenly felt like maybe he was being mocked or something. He didn’t know why Theo would be mocking him for this, but then Theo sort of mocked him for everything, so honestly that made a lot of sense.

“You’re right.” He said with a soft smile, “I should be so lucky.”

Liam just about fell over on the spot. “I’m sorry, Mr All-Celebrities-Are-Fake-And-Vapid. Have you decided I’m worthy of your time now…?”

Theo shrugged, “I still think you’re a little fake and vapid,” He said, but his voice lacked any of the usual flare. “But I also think… I don’t think your fakeness is hiding something bad about you. I don’t think you’re fake to be exploitative or because you’re a bad person. I think you’re fake sometimes because you think people won’t like who you really are. The imperfect, angry, flawed human being who had a hard life and worked really hard to overcome it.”

Liam pouted at him, “Stop it, I feel like you’re looking into my soul and I don’t like it. I’m not some… I’m not special, okay? I’m not… You said it yourself, I’m just a person. There’s nothing different about me just because I’m famous or an actor or because my eyes look like contacts or whatever,”

“No,” Theo agreed quietly, “No, you’re right. That’s not why you’re special. You’re special because you’re actually special. You still piss me the hell off, by the way.”

Liam frowned, “That’s so rude.”

Theo glanced up, “How? I complimented you.”

“Yeah, but… that’s why it’s rude. Because you came in here all gung ho that I was the worst person ever and suddenly you’re turning around saying you like me or that… I don’t know, that I’m not bad, and… I don’t understand what changed. I knew how to handle your hate, but I don’t know how to handle you… treating me like a glass man you can see right through.”

Theo smiled, “It’s not that at all. You’re not a glass man. You’re a real person, flawed and protected and weird as the rest of us. It’s that you chose to let me see it. You chose to tell me about your childhood. About your father. About your IED. You chose to let me see who you are. I can’t see anything that everyone else couldn’t, you just… don’t let everyone in.”

Liam stared down for a moment too long. “And what? You think I should tell everyone all about my… tragic backstory and my broken brain or something?” He asked.

“Your brain isn’t broken.” Theo said quickly, rolling his eyes, “And no, I don’t. Not exactly anyway. I get it now. Why you guys have… personas. The way people look at you, it’s like the sun shines out your ass. I’ll never understand that, or why people want to do that, but… I do understand why you want to live up to that for them.”

Liam frowned at him, “Are you fucking with me right now? Are you about to kidnap me and take me to your basement?”

Theo snorted, “Shut up, Dunbar, I’m telling you the truth.”

Liam just blinked, “Yeah, but… It’s weird. People don’t admit when they’re wrong.”

“Yeah, well… Meet an adult human being. I was wrong. Congratulations, Liam.”

Liam just stared at him, and he tried hard to wipe the look of… fondness of his own face. Of liking Theo. Because he was sure it was there. And he was sure they were friends or… something.

And Liam felt like Theo was looking at him differently, as though he was looking at him like a person he cared about, and Liam couldn’t possibly understand how that’d happened. He stared at Theo for a moment, neither of them moving or talking.

They were just sitting there, in a smelly alleyway outside a hotel, hand in hand, staring into each others’ eyes.

The moments flickered by, and Liam didn’t move. He felt trapped there, locked in Theo’s eyeline, like a fly caught in a spider’s web.

For a second, for just a moment, Liam could’ve sworn he saw it. He could’ve sworn he saw Theo look down to his lips and back up. They were close together, closer than they had been, and Liam wondered if they were moving closer.

He wondered if Theo was going to kiss him. If he would close the gap between them.

God, he wanted him to. He wanted to know what it would feel like. He wanted to be able to put his hands on him. He wanted to be closer. He wanted the comfort, he wanted the companionship. He wanted to be able to lay in a bed with him for real.

It hit him like a ton of bricks. He wanted Theo. He really, properly, wanted Theo.

But then Theo pulled back, his back straightened, and he let go of Liam’s hand. The tension, the silence, the bliss of the moment was gone. The aching want in Liam’s chest remained, but Theo’s presence was gone. Liam hadn’t even realised their sides were pressed against each other, but his left arm felt cold now without Theo beside him.

He got to his feet, straightened his white linen shirt and looked down at Liam with the same professional disinterest he’d had all along.

“We should go back inside. I’m sure your team will be worried sick. Your best friends too.” He took a sharp breath in, and Liam wondered whether he was losing his mind, or whether Theo was trying hard to pull himself back from that moment.

He couldn’t figure out why. What was so wrong with the moment? Theo had agreed to help convince people there was something there, was he really so opposed to… there actually being something there?

Liam felt humiliated suddenly, wondered if he’d totally imagined it. Maybe he’d moved towards Theo, maybe Theo hadn’t moved towards him at all. Maybe it was all in his mind. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe Theo had realised Liam was thinking about kissing him and had gotten uncomfortable.

Liam reminded himself what he’d been saying all along. Theo was out of his league. Liam was the shitty, angry sports player a few years below him who got suspended for fighting in the halls and wore gym shorts everywhere. Theo had said so himself.

Of course it was in Liam’s head. He was just a kid to Theo, no matter how much he was actually an adult.

Theo was an employee. Liam was his boss. His job was to protect Liam and nothing more. For all Liam knew he had a boyfriend. Girlfriend? A something. For all Liam knew, Theo was happily disinterested in him and he’d just gone and pulled the oldest and stupidest move in the book of fawning over his bodyguard. What was this? A movie from the nineteen-eighties? They barely knew each other.

He took a sharp breath and got to his feet, patting his own outfit down. He’d been dressed by kira, and he looked different to how he ever would’ve dressed himself, but he knew Kira knew better, and so he trusted it. He probably looked different. Neatly organised hair. Nice shirt and pants. He was freshly shaven and looked more boyish than he usually did, they were careful to make him into the teen hero he portrayed for these things.

He was just a vapid celebrity.

“Right,” Liam nodded. “Maybe you should text Scott. He’ll tell you where the others are.” He said softly.

Theo nodded, pulling out his phone and sending off a quick text before walking back inside, once again expecting Liam to follow.

Liam did. His eyes felt like they were hanging out of his head. He was exhausted, over it. He couldn’t fathom that there was a world in which people actually enjoyed doing things like this all day.

He had momentarily forgotten his panic, because Theo knew how to do that to him, but that didn’t mean it could last forever.

He was still being stalked, and Theo was still his employee. Someone who didn’t even like him. Wrong or not, that didn’t mean he actually cared for Liam. Liam was someone he had to protect. Nothing more.

They returned upstairs and found the group again. Scott looked panicked, his eyes blown wide. When he saw them, he let out a sigh of relief and grabbed onto Liam, pulling him into a hug.

“I thought something bad had happened,” He managed, “You guys just disappeared for like twenty minutes and Hayden and Corey didn’t see where you went. I was beginning to wonder if Theo wasn’t… doing his job right,” He tried to play it off as a joke, but he seemed genuinely panicked.

Liam felt guilty, “I’m sorry, Scott. I should’ve called you guys.”

Scott nodded seriously. They’d been working together so many years now that they were family, and Liam really should’ve explained.

“I got another text from the stalker. We just went out the back to get some air.” Scott’s relief turned into worry once more, and Liam added, “They said something about my home. About my parents.”

Scott went into overdrive immediately. He knew Jenna and David. Loved them as much as Liam did, probably.

“We need to bring them out here. We need to give them more security and--”

“I called them,” Theo’s weirdly calm, professional voice was back, “I’ve spoken to Jenna. They’re going to book flights and come out here. Liam is going to put them up in a hotel under an alias and we’re going to sneak them in so nobody knows. They’re fine, they’re safe, but they can’t stay there any longer.”

Scott nodded, seeming relieved. He and Theo walked away briefly to discuss in more detail what the plans were and Liam was left alone with Mason. He didn’t know where Lydia, Corey and Mason had gotten to, but he didn’t care right at this moment. He was glad to only have Mason, who was practically a child of the family, same as Liam.

Mason swallowed, seeming to want to say something, but not knowing how. “Do you… do you trust Theo?” He asked softly.

Liam hadn’t been expecting that. “I, uh… yeah, Mase, I do. Do you not?”

This was news to him. He thought Mason and Theo got along well. They seemed to talk more around the apartment than Liam did with either of them these days.

“No, I do, I just… it just seems weird that you got that text and rather than coming to the rest of us… he took you off on your own…”

Liam frowned, “I was having a panic attack and…”

“Look, maybe I’m way off base here, I just wanted to ask. I just… I’d regret it if I didn’t ask and then… there was something off about him, y’know?

Liam stared at the ground, nodding slowly, “I get why you’re asking, Mase, really, I do. But I don’t think so.” He said slowly, “I mean, he’s already around me twenty-four-seven. Besides, I’m… I’m pretty sure he just rejected me.”

Mason’s expression shifted into something else immediately. Shock. “What?” He asked, as if completely dumbfounded.

“We… I don’t know, I thought we sort of had a moment. And then… I don’t know, he just jumped off and ran off inside to find you guys. If it was him… he had a chance right there. I would’ve… I would’ve easily gone with him and he… rejected me.” Liam let one shoulder rise in a shrug and then let it fall. “Anyway, it’s fine. It would’ve been stupid. His job is to protect me, it shouldn’t get personal.”

Mason looked concerned, but didn’t say anything more about it.

“Not as if you need him. You’re Liam fucking Dunbar, you could get anyone you wanted. You’re like… nerd culture’s sweetheart.”

Liam laughed at that, and he thought Mason was also get at getting his mind off things, albeit in a totally different way. Then again, he and Mason were basically inseparable. They had grown up together.

The first time they’d even really been away from each other for more than twenty-four hours at a time had been when Liam got this job. And Mason had been nothing but supportive. He spent a lot of time with Liam up when they were filming. Usually came to sets. He’d always been that way.

Then he’d go back home. They would go months without seeing each other, and while it sucked, Liam loved that at the end of the day, they always came back to this. Came back to them, to their relationship. To who they were when together.

“Liam fucking Dunbar.” He repeated, “Apparently I can’t get anyone.” He pointed out, and Mason shook his head.

“Forget about it, man. He was always kinda weird. Even in school. I know you don’t remember but--”

Liam cut him off, “Yeah, he told me. All the weird shit.”

A moment later, Theo and Scott returned and Theo pulled Mason aside to talk to him. Probably some safety briefings or the like, but it left Liam alone with Scott. They stood in silence for a second and then Liam took a few quick steps forward. Scott was the older brother he’d always wanted.

He wrapped Liam up in a reassuring hug and Liam frowned, “I’m so sorry. For like, everything. I don’t want to put anyone in danger and…”

“Liam, this isn’t your fault. None of this is your fault. But it’s all going to be okay. Your parents are coming and this is why we have Theo. Plus, the house they’re moving you into.”

“Will you be coming?” Liam asked quickly, eyes wide.

“We won’t be living with you guys, but your respective teams will be living next door. We’ll be right there, we can be with you as often as you need. But for the house itself, they don’t want it to seem like a work thing, they want it to seem like you guys were so close that you decided to live together to film. It’s a marketing decision, I think.”

Liam frowned, “But everyone knows you and I are like… best friends. It’s sort of our shtick. Manager-friend duo?”

Scott nodded slowly, “Yeah. I know. But it’s going to be fine,” He said slowly, “Like I said, we’re not going to be abandoning you or anything. And you’ll have your friends with you too.”

It wasn’t the same, but Liam didn’t want to make Scott feel bad. It hadn’t been his decision, it had been the studio’s. Liam got it, but he figured he didn’t have to like it.

After a few minutes, their group was waiting for the same oversized car to take them back to the apartment, though Liam honestly didn’t think he’d ever feel safe in there again. He was going to have to sell it now, he was sure. At least he could buy somewhere big enough so as not to burden Theo with his apparent half-nakedness. Which he hadn’t even realised he’d been doing, as it were.

They got into the cars and Liam was sat beside Mason, Scott and Theo in the seat in front of them. Scott turned to talk to the two friends, and the three chatted and joked about the interviews, talked about how wild it was that they’d gotten to meet the watch mojo lady from youtube and how much fun they had hanging out while Liam did his interview.

Liam and Scott both ribbed Mason a bit about Corey, which seemed to mildly spark Theo’s attention, but he went back to whatever he was doing on his phone.

Liam tried not to be interested, but he couldn’t help wondering why Theo wouldn’t speak to them now.

Had he really made things so awkward? Was Theo really back to hating him now? After all that?

By the time they got home, it was nearly nine at night and Liam was exhausted. He normally stayed up far later. Watching movies or playing games, but not tonight. He was too tired. Liam sort of wished Mason had taken Scott up on his offer to stay with him now, so that Theo wouldn’t have to share a room with him and be subjected to his half nakedness.

He was being petty, but he was embarrassed.

Mason went off to shower and go to bed immediately and Liam and Theo were left sitting alone.

“Did I… do something to piss you off?” Liam couldn’t help but ask.

“No.” Theo said, but his tone seemed to give a very different impression. “I’m not mad at you. I just think it’s in both of our best interests to… Keep the relationship professional.”

“Uh… sure.” Liam said with a slow frown. “Did I… overstep some line, nothing happened…?”

Theo frowned, “No, it’s not that. You didn’t do anything wrong, Liam.” His voice softened, and Liam couldn’t help but notice the nickname was gone again.

“Okay.” He got to his feet and began walking to the bedroom, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment, his heart beating fast.

He got into bed with only boxers on the bottom, but kept his shirt on. He was loath to make Theo uncomfortable, and even though he himself hated sleeping like this… he didn’t want to upset the other man. Or be mocked in their group chat. It had seemed like a cute joke before, but now it just felt… mean.

His phone buzzed and Liam looked at it before he could think. He didn’t want to know. He didn’t want to think. He didn’t want to be afraid anymore, especially now that he felt he couldn’t read out to Theo for help so much.

When he opened the phone, he squeezed his eyes shut, deleted the message, and lay down, trying to will himself to go to sleep.

Theo came in at some point, let out a sigh and silently got into bed. Liam didn’t let on he was awake, but he couldn’t get the text from his mind. Couldn’t burn this awful day out of his head for the life of him.

‘I Can’t Wait To Meet Your Parents’.

Chapter Text

It had been hours since Liam got the last text and he still couldn't relax. Theo was asleep, he could tell from his breathing. He always whistled a little in his sleep when he was really asleep. Liam could barely make him out in the dark, asleep on his stomach with his head turned away from Liam.

'who are you?'

Liam knew everyone in his life would advise against interacting with whoever this was, but Liam couldn't help it. He was sick of going to Theo for help, especially now, because he felt distinctly like Theo had never stopped hating him and had just pretended to change his mind for the sake of doing his job.

Which was fine. Liam had decided he didn't need to be liked by Theo. So what if the guy was really good looking? He was an asshole. He was Liam's bodyguard. They weren't meant to be friends. They weren't meant to be anything.

'I'm Your Biggest Fan.'

The text came through within a few minutes and Liam shuddered. Were they just waiting? Just staring at their phone waiting for him to interact more?

'what do you want?'

He was pretty sure everyone close to him would yell at him for this, especially Theo, but he couldn't bring himself to care right now. It was late into the morning and Liam had no chance of sleeping now. At least this way he could feel like he was doing something about it.

'You.'

Liam had to convince himself not to throw his phone against the wall. He should've seen that coming. Of course it would be some creepy ass nonsense like that. Something that made him feel like crying.

He wanted to ask whether they were going to hurt him. Whether they'd hurt someone he knew. But he didn't want to give some unhinged person ideas about ways to get to him. He hoped maybe this moment of interaction would satiate them for a little while.

'what do you want from me?'

'I Want All Of You.'

Liam thought he might vomit. He got out of bed, crept past Theo on his air mattress and out into the hallway of his apartment. He went out onto the balcony that attached to the living room, letting the cold night air wash over him.

Fuck this. Fuck being an actor. Did all actors deal with this? Did it come with the territory or was this something new? He could feel tears on his cheeks, feel the cold wind making the wet patches even colder.

He just about jumped out of his skin when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned, wondering if he was about to die, when he saw Mason standing in the living room behind him, looking sleepy.

"Li?" He asked, "You alright, man? What's going on?"

He wasn't, but how did he say that to Mason? His best friend was staying with him and Liam felt like he was putting him in danger. He just shook his head.

Mason took a few more quick steps towards him and pulled him into a tight hug. Liam dropped his head into Mason's shoulder and let himself cry for a minute. Mason didn't say anymore, just rubbed his back reassuringly. If there was anyone in the world Liam trusted implicitly, it was Mason. He'd been by Liam's side for as long as he could remember, and though he hadn't seen as much of Mason lately, he knew he was always there for him.

When Liam finally pulled himself together, his best friend pulled away a little, staring at him. "Did something else happen?" He asked.

Liam shook his head, not wanting to burden anyone else with what had happened. It was his own fault. He shouldn't have answered. He shouldn't have texted back at all.

"I just... I don't know. I feel so overwhelmed. I knew when I got this role that things would change. But I had no idea it was going to..." He trailed off, "I had no idea this would happen."

Mason nodded sombrely. "It's not fair, man. You don't deserve this," He said in a soft voice. He kept one arm around Liam and led him to the kitchen. "Let's have a hot chocolate and some ice cream." He said softly.

Liam couldn't help but give him a little, warm smile. "Like when we were ten?"

"Yeah, like when we were ten. You need it." Mason reassured, turning back to begin making the hot chocolates for them. Liam hoisted himself up onto the island bench, crossing his legs in front of himself and leaning forward.

"Why are you awake anyway?" Liam asked.

Mason hesitated for a moment, and Liam thought he knew the answer. "I was texting Corey."

"No fucking way, dude, you should've led with that." Liam brightened a little, "What about?"

"Nothing, really." Mason admitted, "We were texting lyrics of 'I'll Make a Man Out of You' back and forth."

Liam snorted out laughter, "Of course you were. I'm happy for you, dude."

"Why are you still up?" Mason asked. "Was Theo doing some... extra-curricular guarding of your body?" He teased, a smirk on his face.

Liam shook his head, "God no. No, I'm just an idiot. He was being a little nicer to me and I thought..." He shook his head, feeling stupid. "He was holding my hand and being so nice and I thought... I thought it was something it wasn't. He's just doing his job. He doesn't even like me. Hell, I don't even know if he's into guys."

Mason frowned, "No, he's into guys. He dated that uh... Josh guy. You know, the third AD. The one who calls you guys to set?"

Liam's expression morphed into one of confusion. "What? Since when? How do you know that?"

Mason shrugged. "I'm friends with them both on facebook. Small world, huh?"

Liam frowned, "Yeah, small world. Doesn't Theo live in Beacon Hills?"

His best friend had his back turned to him, but he shook his head. "He's a bodyguard, man. He goes where his clients go. I think he must've been working on the same lot as Josh before."

Liam felt like an idiot. He had missed so much information. Not even remembering Theo from school. Not realising they knew more people in common than just Scott.

"Am I stupid? Why didn't I know any of this?" Liam asked.

Mason snorted out a laugh, "You're not stupid, you're just kinda inattentive. But you're also a lot busier than the average person." He reminded with a half smile. "Not all of us can be best buds with Peter Hale, y'know?" He teased.

Liam shook his head, still feeling stupid. After a minute, Mason moved to sit across from him on the bench, putting the two hot chocolates out. He got out a tub of ice cream and two spoons, putting that between them as well.

"I'm really fucking glad you're here." Liam admitted.

Mason gave a half smile. "Still can't believe I found out about all this from your mom though."

"Honestly," Liam sighed, "I didn't think it was a big deal. I had no idea... they were really following me. And I don't want to put anyone else at risk. If this person... is really so unhinged, I don't want them to try to get people closer to me out of the way..."
Mason shrugged, "I'm not giving you up because some random fan decided they were entitled to you."

Liam gave him a warm smile, spooning some ice cream into his mouth.

"By the way, you're not wrong with Theo either. I'm like, five hundred percent sure he's into you."

Liam shook his head, "No way. I was right there. He pushed my hair back and we were holding hands and it was this whole moment. He had ever chance and he walked off. Been acting like he hates me again since..."

Mason frowned, "I don't buy it." He said slowly, "The tension between the two of you is palpable. Did you know there are people taking bets on when you'll get together?"

"What, like fans?"

"No, Hayden, Corey, Scott, Lydia."

Liam's eyes narrowed. "Mason."

Mason avoided his eyes.

"Mason Charles Hewitt."

"Yes, okay, fine! I also bet on it."
"What did you bet...?"

"Liam, don't make me..."

"No, Mason, tell me. Tell me what everyone bet."

Mason took a deep sigh. "Don't tell him, he'll probably beat me up." He said quietly, but finally admitted. "I said three weeks. Scott said a month. Hayden said midway through filming. Corey said once filming wrapped."

"Three weeks?!" Liam burst out, before realising he might wake Theo and frowning, immediately hushing his voice.

"In my defence, you did try to kiss him yesterday."

"Mason, I swear to fucking god, I will--"

"What are you guys doing?" Theo's husky, half asleep voice really should be illegal, especially when Liam wasn't at all prepared for it.

Liam nearly jumped out of his skin, and Mason spilled hot chocolate down his own chin and onto his shirt.

"Hot chocolate and ice cream." Liam answered, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Theo squeezed his eyes tight shut for a moment, like he was trying to force himself to wake up properly. "Don't you have a fake date with Hayden tomorrow?

"It's not a fake date, it's hanging out as friends and letting people assume we're dating." Liam pointed out with a scoff. "But yeah. I do."

"Well, it sort of looks like you're already on the cutest date ever." Theo grumbled, and Liam couldn't help but think Theo almost sounded... jealous.

"Oh, we're not--"

"The closest we ever got was some hooking up in high school." Mason filled in, a smirk on his face and Liam's eyes snapped up to look at him.

Theo's brows raised. "Oh. Oh, I'm sorry for interrupting then."

"Oh, it's fine. Do you want a hot chocolate...?"

Theo took a deep breath, seeming to have some kind of internal struggle about it before nodding, "Uh. Yeah. Sure."

Mason smiled, hopping down from the counter and moving to make another one. Theo, still wearing only his boxers, since he'd just woken up, leaned on the edge of the counter, not sitting down, but stretching a little.

"Did something happen...?" Theo asked, as if trying to figure out why they were awake.

Liam thought about it, really thought about telling Theo the truth. About the creepy and suspicious messages he'd received. About how terrified he was about the idea of someone wanting 'all of him'.

"No," He said finally, "I was just missing quality time with Mase."

"Uh-huh." Theo said again with a nod. Mason brought the other hot chocolate and another spoon over and the three stood there together. Mason and Liam sat on the bench while Theo leaned against the other side of it, leaning over to get to the ice cream as well.

"Sorry for waking you," Liam said finally.

Theo shook his head, "I normally check things out several times through the night anyway." He admitted, "When I woke up and you were gone, I would've had to come check regardless."

"You watch him sleep?" Mason asked.

"I don't watch him sleep. I check on him to make sure he's alive and not hurt or taken by some stalker."

Theo sounded defensive suddenly, and the two of them were looking at each other. There was some tension to the moment, but Liam didn't know what it was. Despite Mason's joking, Liam knew Mason wasn't truly sure that Theo could be trusted, so he figured that was what was happening here. Mason was trying to feel Theo out, maybe.

Theo, he really didn't know what was happening. He couldn't understand the context of the awkward moment.

"I mean, I never understand why anyone would want to watch me sleep," Liam asked, breaking the moment, "I've looked weird in every photo I've ever seen."

"You know it's not normal to see that many photos of yourself sleeping?" Mason pointed out.

Liam shrugged, "Yeah, but I have to joke about it or I'll lose my mind." He said with a half smile. "Besides, I know for a fact I drool."

Mason nodded, "You do. It's cute."

Theo cleared his throat, "At least you don't snore." He added after a moment.

They sat there for a minute longer in silence.

"When are you seeing the band again?" Mason asked, and Liam really didn't know what he was trying to do here. Why was he bringing it up?

"I don't know, actually. I think maybe there's some interview lined up where we're meant to play sometimes in the next week or so, so probably then. They've been back with their families for a little bit. You know, since I had to come back to get ready for the movie stuff."

"I'm sure Brett will be excited to see you."

Liam just raised his brows. Was Mason seriously going there?

"Dude, that was like, forever ago."

"What was?" Theo interrupted, having been effectively cut from the conversation.

"Liam and Brett have a... thing."

"It's not a thing," Liam cut in again with a sigh.

"It's a thing."

"How is it a thing?" Theo was asking. Liam and Mason both looked over and he added, "I should know if he's a suspect or not. Someone I should be keeping an eye on."

"It's not--"

"They slept together. Like a ton. Back when they were on the road together."

Liam shot Mason a look, confused as to why he would be bringing all this up now. "It's like ancient history, Mase, it's been ages."

Mason shrugged, "I bet he'll be happy to see you again though. He was always super into you."

Theo took a gulp of his hot chocolate, not acknowledging the conversation going on in front of him any further.

Liam just frowned, "Stop it, no he wasn't."

Mason snorted and rolled his eyes, "He'd agree with me if he was here and you know it."

Theo put the empty cup back down for a moment before making his way around to the sink and washing it out quickly.

Mason winked at Liam, who shook his head at him in frustration and shock.

"Well, on that note... I'm going to uh, head to bed." Theo said quietly, "Thanks for the hot chocolate, guys."

Liam jumped off the couch, "Uh, me too. I'm going to go to bed as well." He said, walking off and shooting Mason a questioning look as he went.

Mason shrugged and went back to putting things away while Liam returned to the room ahead of Theo, climbing back into his bed, phone in hand.

He was distracted from the rest of it though, caught up in the weirdness of what had just happened. He climbed into bed, shirt still on, feeling too called about his 'half nakedness' to feel comfortable going to sleep as he normally did. He had no idea where anything stood right now, other than that Mason was embarrassing him for some god forsaken reason.

He lay back down and Theo came in a moment later, moving to get back into bed. He was quiet for at least a minute as he got into bed and tried to get comfortable. When he finally spoke again, Liam was surprised.

"So is everyone in your life just in love with you then?" He asked, and while his tone seemed like he was joking, something about it felt kind of off.

"What do you mean?" Liam asked, wondering whether he was being mocked or something.

"Nothing. It just seems... like everyone really likes you, that's all."

He snorted, "Don't worry, they'll all realise I'm vapid and vain and fake soon enough." Liam said with a casual shrug, turning his back to Theo in bed and closing his eyes.

*

"I'm just going to hang out with Corey." Mason said it nonchalantly, as if he thought Liam wouldn't notice if he said it casually enough.

"You're doing what now?" Liam asked, a grin pulling at his lips.

Mason sighed, "Well, you're going out with Hayden, so don't start with me."

Liam kept grinning, walking closer to Mason, a teasing smile on his face. "You're dating Corey, aren't you?"

He couldn't help it, he couldn't not tease him about this. Mason had liked Corey forever, and he seemed to have finally gotten somewhere. Liam was absolutely glad about it.

"Liam, don't..." Mason warned, but he was grinning, stepping backwards as Liam pursued him, trying to get information out of him. "It's nothing, it's just a lunch date."

Liam smirked, still following, "A lunch date is huge, you've been uselessly pining since forever..."

Theo entered the room, staring the two of them down. It probably looked weird. Liam had basically backed Mason into a corner and was poking him again and again in the stomach while Mason tried to bat him away

"I keep interrupting you guys lately." Theo said, clearing his throat.

"I'm teasing him about Corey." Liam said, glancing back over his shoulder with a smile. He was so happy for Mason he almost forgot to be mad at Theo.

Theo blinked, as if realising something. "You and Corey are...?"

Mason sighed, "We're not anything. But I'm trying really hard to make us something."

"Oh." Theo shot him a smile, "That's really nice, man. I hope it works out for you." Mason was smiling back at him, but there was something kinda smug about it. Liam couldn't place it.

"You ready for your 'not a date'?" Mason asked Liam, holding up air quotes. Liam rolled his eyes at him, and shook his head.

"I just have to fix my hair."

"What's wrong with it?" Theo asked, blinking.

Liam raised a brow, "Well, it's... bedhead."

"It looks good." Theo filled in awkwardly and Liam just looked at him in confusion.

"Uh, okay... Guess I'm ready to go then." He turned to Mason, "Remember every single detail because I'm going to need to hear it later. I'm also going to ask Corey for details, so don't think you can lie to me."

"Yeah, well, I could say the same to you. Let me know when you and Hayden actually wind up dating." Mason said with a smirk. Liam shook his head and walked out the front door, leaving Mason alone in the apartment.

Liam and Theo got into the car, Theo at the wheel and Liam beside him. The windows were tinted, but Theo had offered to drive. Liam figured since he was being paid, why not? It might be nice to just sit and relax for the moment anyway. Soon he'd be on a set and monitored all the time.

He was lost in his own thoughts when Theo spoke. "So Mason's very... invested in your love life."

Liam snorted, "Nah, he's not. He's just doing this because I've been teasing him about Corey since they first met like two years ago. They've just clearly liked each other forever."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was trying to make me jealous on your behalf." Theo finally added. He was staring straight ahead and his voice sounded flat and impatient. The way it had when he'd first told Liam he didn't like him because he didn't like 'celebrities'.

Liam blinked, suddenly annoyed, "Not everything is about you, Theo. We're best friends, we tease each other like this."

"You're probably right." Theo answered awkwardly, clearing his throat. "So, are you ready for today? I'm going to be keeping away, I'll be across the restaurant in a private corner, I'll have a hat and glasses on and be reading the paper, so people don't see me hanging around. The two of you will be, for all intents and purposes, on your own. But if you need me, I'll be watching, so just call or gesture. Alright?"

Liam nodded, "What about Hayden's bodyguard, is she coming?"

Theo nodded, "Erica will be sitting with me. I imagine Boyd will be with Corey and Mason as well, since they will probably also get spotted and photographed wherever they're going together."

"Okay," Liam said with a nod.

"Listen, Liam, I'm sorry if I offended you or something with everything that happened--"

Liam jumped in, not wanting to deal with the awkwardness. "Don't flatter yourself, man. It's fine. You're an employee, I'm an employer, we can just keep things from getting weird." He gave a tense smile, but stared at the window. He was sick of this awkwardness. It would've been easier if they had just... never become friends, he thought. He was sure they were going back to that awkward dislike though anyway. Maybe that was for the best.

Theo nodded, "Okay. But Liam, I meant what I said the other day... about you being special."

Liam didn't understand what this was. It seemed like Theo couldn't decide whether he wanted to like him or hate him. It made Liam feel stupid, like he had missed something he should've understood already. He wasn't going to go on waiting for Theo's approval though. He didn't need or want this.

"Okay." Liam said flatly.

"We have to leave by five this afternoon to pick your parents up from the airport. Don't forget. You can't stay too long on this date."

Liam nodded again, but said nothing else.

"Oh, and I spoke to Scott. You have an interview and performance with your band on Saturday. You'll need to practice with them beforehand. I believe they're planning to bring them to the new house they're putting you up in. They want to move us all in on Thursday. I don't know if they're planning to keep them there, but it'll have to be big enough for all of us, so... we're not looking at anything small here."

Liam wished Theo would stop trying to talk to him. His life was messy enough as it was lately, and he was already going to have to try to keep his friends out of the public eye out of fear of what his stalker might do. He just kept nodding at everything Theo said, unsure when he had become his secretary.

"Oh, and your personal trainer will be back in town tomorrow and would like to return to at least daily workouts with you."

"You know Scott could tell me this stuff himself." Liam snapped.

"Okay. Sorry." Theo said and fell quiet. In a few moments, they pulled up in the alley behind the restaurant, and Liam got out quickly and walked on ahead of Theo. They weren't supposed to go in together anyway, and Liam was sick of hearing his voice for the morning.

At least hanging out with Hayden was easy. Weird pretences aside, he liked being with her, there was nothing fake about it. When they saw each other, they both pulled stupid superhero poses, before jogging towards each other. Liam picked Hayden up, swinging her around in a quick hug before putting her back down to be seated.

None of this was new for them, but people sure did eat it up when they saw it. Undoubtedly, they'd get approached for photos or autographs far more when together, but that didn't matter much, Liam was just glad to be with someone without any complication.

They talked casually about the house they would be moving into together, taking bets on how big it would be and what it would include. They joked about feeling like tiktok or youtube influencers and talked about how they had briefly been roommates for part of filming the last movie.

They discussed what it was like to be followed around by bodyguards. Hayden was getting along well with Erica, and the two hung out and worked out together. Liam could be so lucky. He told her how he wasn't sure how much longer he could without throttling Theo altogether and Hayden laughed and winked at him. He shook his head seriously and they both laughed.

They discussed the stalker and how Liam would have to go back to physical training. He had had a week off because Jackson had been visiting his boyfriend in another city, but he was back and Liam had to go back to it. He had to be a certain level of fit for his shirtless scenes in accordance with what the studios wanted, and annoying or not, Liam knew that was part of his job.

Really, he probably shouldn't have had ice cream the evening before, but he had sort of forgot about the dreaded shirtless scenes.

Hayden and he talked about the ridiculousness of their fake relationship, but despite that, how lucky they were that they actually got along, rather than having to pretend to like each other like some costars did.

Liam took a snap of Hayden pulling a funny face and Hayden took one of Liam drinking a smoothie.

They were approached to take photos and they spent thirty odd minutes just doing that at their table with different fans.

When a girl who looked to be about thirteen approached, Liam and Hayden both greeted her and gave kind smiles, but she immediately started crying, trying to creak out words about how much she loved them both and how they had helped her. Liam got to his feet and asked the girl if he could hug her. When both she and her mother had said okay, he pulled her into a tight hug, muttering reassuring things about how they'd be there for her if she needed them, and about how things were better for her being there with them.

Moments like these were always confronting, and they took a lot out of Liam, but he tried his best. Reminded himself that while he was just one stupid, flawed kid in his own eyes, they saw him as something else. Something important. He tried to embody that.

He could see the whole thing was putting Theo on edge, him talking to fans, agreeing to talk, to answer questions, to take photos and videos, but his bodyguard couldn't really say anything without outing his own location, and besides, he wouldn't convince Liam to stop anyway.

When she left, Liam turned back to Hayden, who seemed concerned. "Do you ever wonder when you're doing that if one of them is your stalker? If they're right in front of you...?"

Liam nodded slowly, frowning, "They sent me more weird messages last night..." He confessed. He hadn't told anyone else this, but he and Hayden were close and he doubted she would rat him out.

She frowned, "Saying what?"

"I asked them what they wanted. They said they wanted me." He gulped, "They said they wanted all of me."

Hayden's frown stayed on her face, but her eyes widened with concern. "What did Theo say?"

"I haven't told him."

"Why the hell not?"

Liam frowned, shaking his head. "I just... I will. I just haven't gotten around to it."

She seemed unconvinced, but didn't push further. "Okay, so... why don't you ask them how they're planning to get that?"

Liam frowned, "I don't know. I don't want to give them ideas. And I feel like I'm making it worse by feeding them..." He admitted, trailing off.

She sighed, "Then why did you answer at all, Li?"

He shrugged uselessly, looking down at his phone, which was face down on the table. "I guess I... I just felt so overwhelmed and I wanted to know what they'd say. If they'd even answer again."

"Can I see?" Hayden asked and Liam nodded, pulling his phone up and opening the chat to show her.

"Hmm." She said as she read. "Do you think they mean Theo by this last one?" She asked.

Liam frowned, "When did they mention Theo?"

She handed the phone back over, showing him the message.

There was one he hadn't seen. Right at the bottom.

'I Don't Like Your Boyfriend. It Should Be Me.'

Chapter Text

Liam was already in the car on the way to get his parents from the airport when he saw the new text message buzz in. It was from the same number, which was interesting, since before this it had changed multiple times. Maybe because Liam had responded at one point. He also had several texts from Scott, mostly going over what Theo had told him and putting them into Liam's calendar. It made sense, but Liam still felt grumpy about having to return to training again. He was enjoying his week off.

'I Like Her Pink Sweater.'

Liam had absolutely no idea what that meant, Hayden had been wearing a red dress on their 'date-not-date', so he wasn't sure how it could relate.

Maybe they were stalking multiple people, and hadn't realised that this was sent to Liam.

That would somehow be weirdly comforting, because he had no idea what this meant and it was unsettling at best.

He didn't tell Theo, just sat silently beside him.

"Did you see anyone today who made you uncomfortable?" Theo asked, evidently trying to break the awkward silence.

“No.” Liam admitted, eyes on the ground, “I didn’t. They all seemed like normal fans. But honestly, I don’t know who to look for. It’s not like they’re going to walk over wearing my underwear on their head and professing their love or whatever.”

Theo sighed, “I know. But sometimes it’s good to trust your guy on these things.” He suggested, sounding tired.

“How did you and Erica go?” Liam asked, changing the subject. He felt kind of bad not telling Theo about the messages, but Theo had pissed him off, and Liam felt a little on edge.

“Good.” Theo said casually. “Like I said, we all have a group chat, so I knew her already. She’s nice. Her and Hayden get along well.”

“How nice for them.” Liam said, a hint of sarcasm making its way into his tone.

“We get along well too, Li.”

Liam just eyed him suspiciously, but didn’t respond. This man was impossible to read. One second Liam was fake and vapid, then he was touching Liam’s hair, then he needed to be professional, now this? Liam had no idea what Theo’s game was, but he didn’t want to play it.

“Are you excited to see your parents?”

“I’d be more excited about it if they weren’t coming because someone kept breaking into my room.”

Theo sighed, took a breath, and tried another tactic. “How come you and Hayden don’t actually date?”

Liam rolled his eyes, annoyance creeping into his tone. “We did. Like for a few months, when we started filming. It was fine and fun and whatever, and she’s great, but we’re just better as friends. We’ll be working together for years and it wasn’t worth risking a shit breakup.”

“Oh.” Theo half smiled, and he sounded sheepish. “I really wasn’t wrong before. Everyone does like you.”

“Funny.” Liam answered, his tone making it clear he was absolutely not amused by the comment.

“I was just going to say that it seemed like you guys got along great. That I was surprised it never did turn into anything. Did you end it or did she?”

“I did.” Liam said, brows raised. “You’re not seriously thinking it’s Hayden?” He asked.

“I’m not thinking it’s anyone. I’m just gathering information. No offence, Liam, but these are your friends. They’re just suspects to me.”

Liam nodded. “Right. Well, in less than a week, you’re going to be living with them all so it might pay to start thinking of them as your friends.”

Theo shrugged, “Sure. But this won’t go on forever. Eventually, we’ll find who’s doing this and you’ll get a regular security team and I’ll go back to my life. This won’t go on forever.”

Liam gave him a look, but didn’t say more. Right. Theo hadn’t elected to be here. He was just doing his job. Liam was a client. Theo was being professional or whatever.

“I looked up your band by the way.”

Liam glanced up at him.

“Yeah, you told me.”

“I downloaded your albums.”

That was slightly new information, and it surprised Liam.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were becoming a fan.”

Theo half smiled, and Liam had to remind himself that he wasn’t crushing on Theo anymore. No matter how gorgeous he looked when he smiled.

“Yeah, maybe I am. Figure if I’m going to be hanging out with your band all week, I may as well know what you’re all about.”

Liam smiled, “That's really cool. We could use the streams. Do you have favourites or...?”

Theo nodded, “Yeah, but I’m still working my way through the album, so I’ll get back to you on my favourite one.” He suggested with a smile. “I did a bit of looking into the members too. But that was more so it’d be easier for me to protect you.”

“And?”

“They all seem really cool. Brett’s a giant.”

Liam blinked at him. Earlier the same day, he’d asked if Mason was trying to make him jealous. The better question seemed to be... “Are you jealous?”

“Of what? A guy you hook up with sometimes? Why would I be?” Theo rolled his eyes as if it was the stupidest question he’d ever heard and Liam felt suddenly curious.

“Okay, that’s fine. I just wanted to make sure it wouldn’t be weird once he’s back. ‘Cause, y’know, chances are we’ll fall back into old routines.”

A muscle in Theo’s jaw ticked, but he shrugged, “As long as he’s not taking pictures of you while you sleep, that’s really not my problem.”

“Okay, cool. Then we don’t have a problem.” Liam said casually, before yawning.

“I told you not to stay up so late last night.”

“You’re not my mom.”

They glared at each for a split second before Theo pulled into the parking lot of the airport. The two of them got out and went to wait. Only when they got there did Liam see on the sign that his parents’ flight was delayed. They had at least an hour to kill.

“Coffee?” Liam asked and Theo nodded, the two taking off walking together. Liam and Theo both had dark hats and sunglasses on and neither was wearing any eye catching clothing, but if they sat here long enough, people would take notice.

Liam sat at a table in the corner of the airport coffee shop they’d found and Theo went to order. It only made sense, Liam was far more likely to get made if he went and stood up front, so hiding was his best bet.

While he waited, he scrolled through his twitter mentions.

There were thousands since he was last online. Pictures of himself and Hayden. Liam, swinging Hayden around in a hug. The two of them grinning at each other, pulling poses. Photos of them with fans.

There were also photos of him and Theo though. The one of him and Theo holding hands. One of Liam with his thumb on Theo’s chin, wiping food off. One of the two of them just standing in the coffee shop. When was that taken?

The part that always made him most uncomfortable though was the speculation. People arguing about who he was dating. People arguing he was dating Hayden, that Theo was a friend, potentially even Mason or Scott’s partner.

There were people arguing that he and Theo were clearly a couple and, correctly, guessing that the studio forced him and Hayden to act as though they were dating.

They talked about Theo and Liam as if they were some forbidden love— forced into the closet by a studio that would prefer a straight male lead. It wasn’t fully untrue, but Liam and Theo weren’t anything.

He scrolled through tweets; reading the arguments back and forth, scrolling quickly through fan cams of himself.

‘Look at these two and tell me they’re not in love.’ It was Liam, sitting across from Theo the previous day in the hotel bar, Theo’s hand on Liam’s.

Fuck, Liam didn’t even know anyone had seen them there that day.

‘#Thiam is real. just look at liam doing absolutely anything and tell me that man is straight. u can’t.’

Part of that was definitely true.

‘why is no one talking about how theo was there during hayden and liam’s “date”. real fucking sus guys’

There was a photo of Theo and Erica, drinks and food in front of them, and another photo of Liam and Hayden, the same one of them hugging as before.

It was a thread and when Liam clicked it, he saw a series of photos. Different moments of him and Theo that Liam didn’t even know were photographed.

Dear god, had Liam ever moved without someone getting a picture of it?

‘they’re in love and u can fite me on that’

Liam sighed and closed the twitter app, going over to his instagram instead.

It wasn’t much better, the first thing that came up was ‘liammylove’, a fan page he had followed maybe a year before out of kindness. He liked to make people feel like he cared and like he was listening. Still, their most recent photo was a side-by-side of him and Hayden and him and Theo. He winced.

The caption read: ‘maybe i’m clowning but i don’t think he’s dating either of them’.

Liam gave a half smile. Maybe someone had some sense. He clicked on the comments, but came face to face with hundreds of comments arguing over who he was dating and why. He saw one fan arguing resolutely that Liam was straight and had said so in interviews before, which was both weird to witness and categorically untrue.

He kept reading, but after a moment of spiralling thought about how this was how it was going to be for the rest of his life, he was scared from his thoughts by Theo returning with their coffee.

“All good, man? You look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

“I was going through my social media.” Liam filled in, noting how small his own voice sounded.

“Okay...?”

“It’s just thousands upon thousands of people arguing over who I’m dating.” He admitted tiredly.

Theo frowned, “Me or Hayden?”

He nodded. “It’s not like I haven’t been through this before. They used to do it with Brett and Hayden too before you. They called us Briam.”

Theo nodded slowly, listening to Liam, who went on speaking. “I just... like, I’m never going to have friends again. Only suspected love interests. Maybe I should just commit to fake dating Hayden, that way at least they’ll stop going on about how we’re secretly in love or whatever.”

Theo frowned, “I suppose it’ll get worse when Brett comes to town too...?”

Liam nodded. “Can’t wait.”

“Can I help in any way?” Theo asked softly, eyes running over Liam’s face.

“Not really, no.” Liam admitted, and he let his head drop onto the table for a moment.
He was completely still, until he felt someone touching his hair. Jolting up, Liam came face to face with a concerned looking Theo.

“Liam... have you been cutting random pieces of your hair lately?”

“It’s cute that you think I get to decide what my hair looks like. But no, why?”

“... There’s a short piece here. Like someone chopped a chunk off your hair...”

Liam’s eyes went wide, panic filling them. He had no idea when anyone could’ve done that, and since Theo had only just noticed, they had no way of knowing when it happened.
“What the fuck? Are you sure?”

Theo’s green eyes were locked on Liam’s hair, and he brushed his fingers through it, looking for any more signs of uneven chunks. He seemed only to find the one piece, but his expression gave away his concern.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Theo finally told him. “There’s a piece missing in here.”

Liam closed his eyes, taking deep, sharp breaths.

Theo grabbed his hands again from across the table, entwining his fingers through Liam’s and speaking in a soft, worried voice. “Li, listen to me. You have no idea when this was done, it could’ve been weeks ago. I’ve been there and there’s been no sign anyone got in since—“

“My jumper!” Liam snapped, “When all of us were out the other day, someone wore my jumper.”

“Liam, we don’t actually know that that—“

“Someone’s been getting into my room. Someone has photos of me asleep, they’ve taken my stuff, they’ve texted me again and again, and now they’ve cut my hair? How am I supposed to feel, Theo? Because I feel really violated, and really unsafe.”

“Alright,” Theo said softly, “That’s totally fair, okay?” He took a breath and Liam mimicked it, trying to calm down. “When we get your parents, we won’t just take them to the hotel. You and me will check in too. We won’t tell anyone where we’re going, not anyone, and we’ll just have a few nights away, okay? Somewhere your stalker won’t be able to follow so easily.”

Liam just stared at him, “But—“

“No buts.” Theo said, “You need a break from all this. We’ll get a twin room, no one will get near you, okay? And you can hang out with your parents and take a break. I’ll arrange a car to get us so that the stalker won’t be able to follow the license.”

Liam nodded slowly, and Theo squeezed his hand again. “I’m sorry, this is an awful situation.” He said in a soft voice.

He almost felt guilty that Theo had to talk him through all this, but he reminded himself Theo was just being professional, just doing his job.

“If people see us here like this, it’ll make the rumours worse.” Liam barely breathed the words out, but Theo just shook his head.

“Doesn’t matter. You’re not going to sit here and have a panic attack to appease the biphobic studio.”

Liam blinked a few times, “Are you bi too?” He asked, trying to calm himself down.
He thought having a conversation might help to distract him.

“I’m gay.” Theo told him casually. “Thought I was bi for a bit, but I think I was just scared to admit to being gay. But I know being bi is real and I’m sorry people are taking that away from you. It isn’t fair.”

Why was Theo so kind to him when he was stressed and so rude the rest of the time? It made him confused. This version of Theo. This version of Theo made his stomach flutter. The kind, attentive one who validated Liam’s fears and looked into his eyes properly.

“Storm clouds.” Liam said softly.

“What?” Theo asked, confused.

“Your eyes. They’re storm cloud coloured today. Like when they’re a really dark grey but there’s a tinge of almost green in them. Right before a big, earth shattering, trees down on the streets storm.”

Theo blinked, seemingly surprised by the comment. It was fair, since Liam had said it out of nowhere.

“What are they normally?”

“They don’t seem to have a normal colour.” Liam admitted, “I feel like they’re constantly changing. I can’t always tell.”

Theo was quiet for a moment before he spoke, and when he did, he seemed almost shy. “Yours are blue. Baby blue. Always. Your eyes are blue even when skies are grey.”

"No offence, but you sort of suck at keeping things professional." Liam offered sarcastically, and Theo snorted.

"Right, yeah." He took a breath, "I'm just trying to calm you down." He told Liam with a half smile, and Liam thought he might've been lying, but didn't want to expose himself too much by questioning it.

"So... there's a chunk of my hair missing." Liam said, forcing out a deep breath as he said it. "Okay. Yeah. Why the fuck not? There's a chunk of my hair missing. Just make sure when I inevitably get murdered, people are appropriately sad about it."

Theo looked like he was trying not to smile, but failing rather dramatically at it. The half smile that pulled at his face was, at the least, amusement.

"How should I make sure of that? And why should I?"

"Well, I'll put you in my will, of course." Liam nodded, feigning seriousness, trying hard not to become a paranoid kid sitting in an airport waiting for someone to knock him out and drag him away. "You have to stand by my coffin and fake sob as convincingly as you can. You should also dedicate the rest of your life to solving my murder and inevitably fall in love with and marry your partner at the precinct who is helping you, while solving other cases along the way."

“You’ve put a little too much thought into this.” Theo finally told him, but there was a laugh in his voice as he spoke, and Liam felt as though, at the very least, he had accomplished something.

So much for the douchey guy wearing aviators indoors and saying Liam wasn’t anything like his online personality. Liam felt he had appropriately put that to bed, especially considering Theo did seem to actually like him now, at least on some level.

“Yeah, ‘course I have. I’m being stalked for god sake. By someone who has snuck into my room at least three separate times and has cut my hair… I mean, come on. I’m clearly going to die here and the least you can do for me in lieu of protecting me is avenge me.”

“Right,” Theo said with a faux serious nod. “And while I’m avenging you, what genre should it be? Murder mystery, comedy, thinly veiled romance?”

Liam had a burst of confidence unusual to him in moments like these and shrugged, “It’s already a thinly veiled romance.”

Theo, who had been drinking his coffee at that moment, choked a little on it, and nodded. “Touche.”

Liam didn’t know what to make of the admission, since Theo had made it clear nothing was going to happen between them. Well, that was fine. At least Liam could know he wasn’t crazy, that there was something there, Theo just… didn’t want to act on it. He wanted to keep it professional. Fine. That could be fine. They barely knew each other really anyway.

“In that case, I think it has to be a murder mystery. Make sure you have chemistry with your partner, though, that’s very important. But don’t forget, I need to come up at least once per season. Probably in the finale, just for the sake of consistency.” Liam nodded as if this was all obvious.

“Should I speak at your wake?” Theo asked, playing along.

“Oh, definitely. You should cry and talk about how even though you couldn’t save me, you’ll dedicate the rest of your life to solving my murder. You should wax lyrical about how amazing and not fake or vain I am and then say that thing about my eyes again.” Liam nodded seriously.

Theo seemed to be trying hard not to smile, but was failing rather miserably, the corners of his mouth still lifted. Liam could see the smile in his eyes too. Storm cloud eyes.

“Right, yeah.” He nodded, “Because you sound totally not at all vain and cocky right now.”

“Well,” Liam joked, shrugging his shoulders, “Who am I to deny the obvious?” He said with a smirk.

Theo was grinning at him now, seemingly having given up on pretending not to smile and Liam was glad for this moment of levity.

Everything had been so serious lately. Every ten seconds the world was ending. Something else had happened that made him feel totally unsafe or totally watched. He was afraid and there was no point hiding it. But at least in this moment, sheerly making a joke of the whole saga, he could pretend it was fine. Play the role of the overconfident celebrity who wanted to be worshipped.

Even though, really, he felt like a kid in danger. He felt the pressure of being watched at every moment, including now and the pressure of the social media presence he had. He felt the pressure of all of it, and he had no idea how to balance that with the overwhelming exhaustion he felt.

He felt like he hadn’t slept in months. He felt like it’d been months, even though it had been a little over a week.

Mason hadn’t contacted Liam again today, which was a good sign, since it probably meant his date with Corey was going well. He hadn’t heard anything about it from Corey either, which was not entirely unexpected, he could be private at times, though usually not from Liam.

“But seriously, are you okay?” Theo broke the moment, his face shifting back to the more concerned one he seemed to have on all the time lately.

“I’m…” Liam thought for a moment, and decided to just be honest, “No, not really. I feel like my eyes are hanging out of my head, I’m so tired. I feel like I’m being watched every second of the day. I feel like every second I spend with you, I’m getting myself into more shit with the studio…” He frowned at the ground for a moment, “I’m not really okay. I’m tired and… scared and I don’t know what I’m meant to be doing. I’ve had all these things planned for months. Performing with the band, the junkets, filming, but I keep forgetting. I’m normally on top of my schedule but I keep forgetting because all I can think about is this stupid stalker situation…” He ran a hand through his hair and, feeling the short chunk Theo had been talking about, he sighed. “And now my hair sucks.”

Theo looked concerned, but he gave a half hearted smile, evidently appreciating Liam’s little grumble about his hair at the end.

“Yeah, it’s a shit situation,” Theo agreed, not mincing his words, “That’s why I was trying to help with your schedule earlier. I could tell you were overwhelmed. That’s why I got Scott to contact you about scheduling stuff instead, since you clearly didn’t want to talk to me…” He cleared his throat and Liam glanced down at the table.

“You’re inconsistent.” He finally explained.

“What?” Theo asked.

“Sometimes it seems like you want to be my friend, or even something more, then you turn around and act like you don’t like me again. You’re inconsistent. It makes it hard to be around you. I feel like I never know whether you like me or hate me that day.”

Theo sighed, “You’re right. I’m not trying to be, I’m just… like I said, you’re not what I expected. At all. But I stand by what I said about keeping things professional. So… I’m going to try to just… be friends. Okay?”

Liam nodded slowly. Friends was fine. He could do friends. It was easier than enemies anyway.

“Oh, and by the way, your hair… it doesn’t look bad.” He gave a little smile, “You can’t really see it.”

Liam tried to smile back, but it felt tired and forced.

“Have you heard any more from your stalker?” Theo finally asked.

Liam frowned, not really wanting to admit he’d been talking to them. They might be “friends” now, but Theo had still made his position clear. Liam was a client. Nothing more. And that was fine, but it made Liam less inclined to want to talk to him as much about it all. Stupid, maybe, but Liam wasn’t known for his intellect.

No, Liam wasn’t known for his intellect, or for his emotional maturity. In fact, when it came to stuff like this, he had always been quite bad at relying on other people. He felt a great deal of guilt about it.

That was the fun thing about his IED. After an episode, there was the guilt. The soul-crushing, unbearable, overwhelming guilt. It was part of it, the doctors said. A recognised part of the condition because people like him weren’t deciding to be angry. They weren’t trying to hurt anyone, or trying to make things worse for anyone, they were just living. And sometimes things would get them and they would snap, but they never meant to, and so when it was over, and they felt like themselves again, they would feel overwhelming guilt.

And truly, Liam knew that feeling well. In fact, he knew guilt so well that it had stopped being just a part of his IED. It had become a part of his everyday world, a part of the way he thought anyway. He felt guilty for everything. If he missed comments on his instagram posts. If he missed meet and greets with fans. He’d gone to so many things sick or tired or overwhelmed over the years because of his desperate, urgent need to live up to the way people saw him.

In that sense, maybe Theo was right that he was fake. It wasn’t intentional or exploitative, it was more that Liam desperately wanted to be the person they all thought he was. He wanted to be the little harmless dork who had never hurt a fly. He wanted to be the kid they all looked up to and held dear.

He still didn’t fully understand why anyone was so attached to him without knowing him, and he certainly knew he didn’t deserve it, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to try his ass off.

“Yeah,” Liam finally managed. “They said ‘I like her pink sweater’. I don’t know that means because… well, Hayden wasn’t wearing a pink sweater and Hayden’s the only girl I’ve seen today.”

A look crossed Theo’s face and he frowned. He had clearly thought of something Liam hadn’t, because he looked seriously concerned for a moment.

“Jenna…?” He asked and Liam’s expression fell. He felt sick to the stomach suddenly, and he couldn’t think of the right words to describe how terrified that made him.

Was this person with his mother? Had they followed her here somehow? How was that even possible?

Panic seemed to fill up his chest and Liam thought he might scream.

Theo looked down at his phone, “It’s going to be okay, Li. They’ll be arriving any minute now, yeah? We’ll go wait by the gate, I’m sure it’ll be fine. She’s probably not even wearing a pink sweater, they were probably just trying to get your attention. To get in your head.”

Liam wanted to believe that was true, but they hadn’t been wrong about anything before and he had no reason to believe they suddenly would be now.

Still, the two took their coffees and walked off towards the arrivals gate, waiting impatiently for his mother and stepfather to walk through.

Theo saw them before Liam did, and he could tell because Theo let out a sigh.

There was his mother, looking around for him, suitcase rolling behind her, wearing a pink sweater and black jeans.

“They knew.” Liam said softly, his eyes fluttering.

“They knew.” Theo agreed. “We’re going to a hotel, remember? I haven’t told anyone, literally nobody else where you’ll be or under what name. They shouldn’t be able to find you. Nobody should be. You can just spend the last few days before filming away from your apartment and safe, yeah? A few days away from all of this.”

He was saying the words hurriedly and seriously and Liam thought he was trying to stop him from falling into a full blown panic attack, but he just nodded.

That wasn’t what his parents needed, not right now. Not when they’d just gotten here. Not when they both looked so excited to see their son. Liam tried hard to smile, tried hard to be excited, and he began walking towards them, but before he could even get close, he was knocked off his feet.

He had no idea what happened, except that there was a weight crushing him and the sound of a commotion, which sounded like white noise in his ears, nearby.

He was totally winded, struggling to get breath into his chest, but after what felt like hours but was surely barely a few seconds, the weight was lifted from him and Liam could see Theo restraining a man who looked to be twice Liam’s age. He was in time to see Theo land several strikes on the man’s face, and in time to see airport security running towards them.

People were talking to him now, lots of them, a crowd. He could see flashes of people taking photos, and something tasted like metal in his mouth, but he had no idea what was going on.

Any hope he had of avoiding a panic attack was gone, because Liam couldn’t breath. Air wouldn’t seem to fill his lungs no matter how hard he tried and his blue eyes stared blankly ahead. The air and the sounds felt fuzzy and unreachable and while Liam could hear talking, could see movement, he couldn’t make out a word or a shape anymore.

“I can’t hear,” He whispered, barely getting breaths into his chest, “I can’t see…”

A moment later, he could feel that he was moving, but he had no idea yet what was happening. All he knew was that he was moving.

When his eyes opened again, really opened, when he could really see, he was far from the place he had been before.

He was sitting in a dark room, air conditioned, with only his mother, stepfather, Theo and a man he didn’t recognise in the room. A man wearing a security outfit. Airport security who had stepped in.

“Liam, honey, are you okay?” He heard his mothers’ reassuring voice and he felt a little better. He felt air feel his lungs.

“What happened?” Liam asked, confused.

“Someone tackled you.” Theo filled in, arms folded over his chest. His expression was pinched and concerned. “I got him off you before he could do any damage, but he’s been taken into custody for questioning for assault and potentially stalking. There’s no proof it’s him though, so it’s all really just a matter of… what they can get out of him.” He admitted. He sounded like he was barely letting any air out when he spoke, like he was clenching his jaw and Liam wondered if he felt guilty.

“And then? How did I get here?”

“Theo carried you.” Jenna said, still looking at him like he might break at any moment. “You had a panic attack, honey. We’re away from people, and they’re going to take us straight to a car from here. You don’t have to see anyone again today.”

He blinked again, still feeling overwhelmed and not entirely himself. Everything was a bit starry, but he was trying to calm down. “Thanks,” He told Theo quietly, and Theo just shook his head. He knew what he would almost certainly say.

“It’s my job. And I didn’t even do it properly.”

“Theo, this isn’t your fault.” It was David who spoke next, and they all turned to look at him. “The guy came out of nowhere, and you reacted far quicker than anyone else did. And you got Liam out of there really quickly.”

Theo nodded once, but clearly wasn’t accepting that answer in any way.

“Thanks,” Liam said again, “For picking me up and… taking me here. I suppose there’ll be photos of that all over social media.” Liam tried to joke weakly and his mother and stepfather gave him a smile that felt like it was probably out of sympathy more than amusement.

“I mean, probably.” Theo said slowly, “But what will probably happen is that people will realise I’m your bodyguard. I yanked the guy off you and picked you up and ran off. I think it was probably… relatively obvious.”

Jenna gave a nod, as if confirming that, and Liam wondered if they thought he was afraid of people thinking they were together, rather than the obvious, which was that Liam hated feeling so vulnerable. He couldn’t even remember what’d happened and millions of people would likely see photos of it happening.

It felt like a stupid thing to worry about, but he couldn’t help it. He looked up at Theo, “Have you checked the internet?”

Theo looked at him like he was crazy, “No, I haven’t fucking checked the internet, I was worried about you! Are you hurt…?” Theo asked, a frown etched into his lips.

“No, I don’t… I don’t think so. I feel a bit sore, especially around my ribs, but I don’t think I’m injured or anything, I think I just got a bit winded when I fell.”

Theo nodded again, but the worried look didn’t fall off his face. “If you guys want to replace me with someone else, I understand. I should’ve stopped what happened today and--”

“Don’t.” Jenna actually sounded dangerously like Liam for a moment, so much so that he wondered if he had spoken through her, since he was going to say the exact same thing. “You stepped in as quickly as any person could possibly be expected to in that situation. You got him out of there. It’s a lot more than any of us could’ve done, and it took security far too long to assess the situation rather than just helping Liam.” She reached over, pushing Liam’s hair back off his forehead. It was only then he realised how clammy he was, and how bad he probably looked.

“What she said,” Liam grumbled, “You did your job. You can’t be expected to see the future.” He muttered.

There was a moment of silence, so Liam spoke again, asking another question he wanted to know.

“Do we know what he… wanted?” Liam asked. “Was he a fan or someone who hated me or…? Both?”

“We’ve spoken to him briefly. He says he’s a huge fan.” It was the security guard who stepped in next.

Liam knew as well as anyone that not every person out there was totally logical. That while ninety nine percent of fans would just come to him respectfully, there was at least one person out there at any given time who would tackle him to the ground. Even hurt him in the name of being a big fan.

Never had that been more acutely clear to him than right now.

Because this… this would make the news. He was sure he’d be trending globally on twitter right about now. There would be video and photos that no one should have and yet which inexplicably exist, because that was always the way these things happened.

Liam hated it, but it was something he was relatively used to. He had been saved anything so severe until now, and all he could hope was that the man was the stalker as well.

Somehow, Liam couldn’t believe that.

The stalker had been methodical. They had messaged him things that they knew would upset him. They had slowly released information they had about him. They had cut his hair and not let on in any way. Worn his sweater just to scare him.

The stalker wasn’t someone who would tackle him in an airport. The stalker was someone who would sneak into his room in the dead of night. Liam was far more afraid of the stalker than he’d ever be of some guy tackling him in an airport.

Though, in truth, neither was particularly desirable.

It was nearly an hour later that Liam was allowed to leave. He had to talk to the police, give a statement about what he remembered, which was very little. He watched Theo make a statement, watched the pinched, guilty way he discussed it all, and he truly felt bad.

Theo clearly blamed himself, and it really wasn’t his fault. He had done as much as he could do, and in truth, Liam was surprised he had acted as quickly as he had. At least he knew he was good at his job.

They asked him if he wanted to press charges for assault, and Liam said no, though he agreed that he would like a restraining order against the man.

After they finished taking all their notes, finished deciding what to do, Liam watched his parents talking to Theo while he gave his statement.

All three of them had concerned faces on and were talking in hushed tones. He could guess what was being discussed, but he didn’t like thinking of it. His mother would be livid that he hadn’t told her. Would be terrified that he could be able to get hurt. He should’ve told her more. But every person he told made it more real. Only Theo even knew about the jumper or his hair. Most things he had kept quiet. For his own sanity.

He was realising now that as much as he had decided that there were people he trusted, he didn’t really trust anyone enough. Not enough to tell them everything, not enough to let them in on his fears.

He knew that it wasn’t anyone he was close to, but at the same time… He felt that he couldn’t entirely believe it. Couldn’t entirely prove it.

The only people he really trusted were in this room with him, and he didn’t even know how he’d gotten to the point of trusting Theo that much. Perhaps because he had been with him when so much of this all happened.

When he returned to them, Jenna pulled Liam into a tight, nearly bone crushing hug. Liam didn’t complain, simply accepted it.

“Why didn’t you tell us how bad things were?”

Liam frowned, “‘S’pose I was hoping it wouldn’t… it wouldn’t stay that bad at least. Wouldn’t get worse, maybe…” He trailed off. He knew he sounded stupid, but he had to hope his mother would understand.

She pulled back, nodding tearily at her son. “From now on, you tell me everything, okay? Or Theo will.” She glanced over at him and Liam followed her gaze. He gave a tired nod and Liam knew it was true.

Whatever alliance he’d had with Theo in this had been transferred to his Mom. Liam couldn’t bring himself to be surprised. Theo was calm and in control and he was upfront. Of course his parents would take to him. At least that meant they trusted that he was trying to keep himself safe by keeping Theo with him.

“Okay,” Liam nodded seriously. “I’m fine though, really. I haven’t been hurt or anything and…”

She nodded, “I know, Liam. But I’d rather not wait until you have.”

That shut him up, and no one else spoke. They were led out to a nondescript black car, with blocked out windows and a driver that didn’t even look around at them. Liam was sure they’d already been briefed as to where the group were going, and Liam was sure Theo would’ve booked a place that could keep him totally anonymous.

When they were in the car, Liam found himself drifting off pretty quickly. He’d had everything taken out of him. Between the late night, the fake date, the hair cutting and jumper, now this, Liam was exhausted. Emotionally, physically, whatever other way he could be tired, Liam was tired.

When he slept, he dreamed of a shadow figure following him, stalking him through a movie theatre. The theatre looked different in his mind, huge and terrifying and like a maze. The shadow creature followed him and Liam kept running and running.

He remembered thinking it was all over, and then he woke up.

When he woke, his head was on Theo’s shoulder.

Chapter Text

"I thought you said it was twin beds." Liam said, eyes narrowed on the room in front of him.

"I did. Because that's what I was told. I can show you the booking order."

"Really...? Because it sort of seems like you're the stalker right now," Liam was joking, and Theo knew that, but Liam sounded exhausted and stressed, and Liam was pretty sure that Theo knew that too.

Theo just nudged past him into the room, taking off his jacket and dropping it on the table of the room. It was big. Bigger than the average room anyway, and the bed was huge, big enough that they could sleep on either end and not be near each other. Still it seemed... weird. If anyone did manage to get in here, it would definitely be something people would freak out about.

"I already had a whole argument with the hotel staff about it," Theo said, sounding tired, "First of all, I'm not your agent or manager or PR or whatever, I'm just trying to do the right thing..." He paused, and Liam felt bad.

"It's fine." He said slowly, "I get it. I was just... it's fine."

Liam was too tired to argue, and frankly, he could tell that Theo was too.

Theo walked into the room properly, sitting down on the edge of the bed closer to the door. "I'll take this side, in case anyone did get in..."

Liam nodded, moving into the room, closing the door behind him and collapsing down onto the bed. His parents were on the same floor, but a few rooms down, which left them mostly alone. It was weird to be spending time together like this, but Theo had been right that Liam needed the break, and considering how weird things had gotten, he definitely felt better with Theo beside him, even if it felt... like a lot.

"I've got Mason packing bags for us both and dropping them at the hotel, but even he won't know which room. Just in case." Theo told him, "I'm going to go have a shower though, it's been a big day."

Liam just nodded, pulling his phone out and going onto twitter. He didn't... mean to. He just couldn't shake the feeling that there would be articles and stories and trends about what happened in the airport and, though the majority part of him didn't want to know, there was some small part of him that felt like he needed to at least know what people were saying about him.

Since he'd started, he'd had other actors or musicians tell him never, ever to search your own name, and they were absolutely right, yet here he was. Paranoid, and checking.

He kept seeing pictures. Pictures with people shaming others for posting the pictures.

Pictures with people ranting about how wrong it was that he’d been attacked like that.

Pictures with people claiming it was a PR stunt and that they were just trying to get hype around him and the movies.

All of that would be one thing, and Liam still didn’t like it, but the worst part, for him, was the way people were using it to fuel a narrative.

Liam could see himself in the pictures. He looked limp, unconscious, and he was certainly only barely clinging to it after he’d been tackled. Him bundled up in Theo’s arms, Theo’s serious, intense expression focused ahead as he got Liam the hell out of there.

In Liam’s eyes, this photo was... borderline traumatic to look at. A memory of something that had made him feel as though he hadn’t slept for a week, of something threatening and embarrassing on a global scale.

To the people online, this was proof of Theo and Liam’s apparent love.

Theo had been right that people had pieced together that Theo was his bodyguard, but those same people were now convinced that Liam had just fallen in love with his bodyguard. They’d concocted some whole star crossed lovers thing about how they’d been in love as teens and the evil hollywood execs had kept them apart and how now they were reunited they could be in love again. They’d even managed to track down photos of Liam and Theo in high school, including one they were in together. Liam couldn’t even recall its existence, but it sure was them, sitting at a library table together, both looking wildly uncomfortable.
Theo looked thinner, far thinner, and he had dark circles beneath his eyes. He looked unhealthy, Liam thought, but he also knew how much Theo had been going through then, and it just made him sad.

Liam looked like a normal, pimply faced kid in a letterman jacket, lips pinched together awkwardly, clearly nervous about the photo.

He couldn’t recall anything about it, actually.

Theo had alluded to knowing Liam in school, but Liam couldn’t remember them ever talking. He could swear they never did. Maybe they were just asked to sit beside each other for the yearbook photo. Liam rarely chose to sit near anyone except Mason.

Every new thing Liam read made him feel a little more uneasy. All the things they’d decided about him, about his life, about his relationships. He shouldn’t have been surprised, he had let people in so closely into his life that now some of those people felt entitled to it.

Still, every time he saw that photo of himself draped like a rag doll in Theo’s arms, he felt a little sick. He could see the appeal, for a twitter superfan. They didn’t know how traumatic it had been for Liam, not really. It did almost look posed, objectively. Liam’s tipped back head made his jaw look sharper, and while he was unconscious, Theo held him like an action hero. He was all sharp jawline and muscles, looking focused. If Liam fit the bill a little better, it would look like the cover of some Die Hard knock off.

Unfortunately, Liam did know the context. To him, the photo was nothing more than a reminder of how useless he felt. How totally out of control of his life.

It was frustrating that the photo was being so romanticised. Frustrating that even people arguing that it shouldn’t be spread were spreading it.

There were other photos too, photos of Liam with the man on top of him, photos of him on the ground, visibly struggling to cope. Photos of him curled up and struggling to breathe while Theo hit the man. Finally, the ones of Theo carrying him away.

It all painted a very dramatic and romantic story that wasn’t one bit the traumatic panic attack Liam had actually had.

There was some discourse around how wrong it was to ‘own’ celebrities or believe that you do, but most of it was just sensationalised stuff pushing them together.

Liam went to instagram and found the same thing to be true. Photo after photo of him, either curled up on the ground of the airport or in Theo’s arms. Essays of captions about how wrong it all was, all whilst sharing the photo as a cautionary tale.

He felt stupid and lonely and suddenly he wished Theo was back so he at least wasn’t alone in it. Lately he felt like Theo was the only one who understood— but really that was because he was the only one Liam had fully let in about it all. He was the only one really seeing how scared Liam was.

He had a few messages from people. Hayden, Corey, Mason, Scott. No one asked where he was, which meant they’d been told to steer clear, but they asked how he was. The panic they seemed to have for him was nice, but really it only made him feel worse. More exposed.

Maybe he should turn his phone off. At least until they were done having a few days away. So the social media thing could die down.

He didn’t know how much more discourse on his own life he could put himself though, especially when nearly all of it was wrong.

He switched the phone all the way off and lay in the bed with his eyes closed, totally drifting off.

He must’ve been in a deep sleep, because when there was a knock on the door, Liam jerked awake, looking around to realise where he was. It was morning and he was still fully dressed. More than that, his arms were wrapped right around his bodyguard, his head on the man’s chest. Liam didn’t recall him ever returning from the shower, nor how he’d gotten here, but Theo was asleep too, so most Liam could hope was that he hadn’t noticed.
He untangled himself, moving to the door and opening it, eyes skimming to land on his mother.

She frowned at him, looking him up and down. “Li, why aren’t you dressed? We have breakfast.”

“Won’t people see me?”

“Private room.” She explained, sighing, “Why are you wearing your clothes from yesterday? Did you not get any sleep?”

Liam shook his head, “The opposite. As soon as I got here, I fell asleep.” He explained.

“Ah. I wondered why neither of you came down to dinner. I assumed you ordered in.”

“I wish,” Liam said, noticing the grumble of his tummy.

“Is Theo up?”

Liam just shook his head.

“Nor is David. Shall we go get breakfast just the two of us this morning?”

Liam actually felt happy at the suggestion. “Please. Yes.” He nodded, and the two headed down, Liam still wearing his clothes from the day before, feeling exhausted still.

She nodded, and Liam followed her out of the room, closing it gingerly behind him. He had left his phone in the room, completely turned off, so he hoped Theo would just go ask David rather than freaking out. Or that Liam would get back beforehand.

He knew that Theo had been exhausted, that he had had to take a break. On top of that, he kinda hoped Theo didn't know about Liam basically attaching to him during the night. Liam didn't know that he was a clingy sleeper, but it was becoming apparent that he was.

Apparent and embarrassing.

He followed his mother down the halls and into a service lift, where they were able to be taken to a small room set up just for them.

Liam never got through feeling like an imposter at things like this. He was a twenty year old kid, no different than any other. The only difference was that people recognised his face. And while Liam would normally insist that he could just go into the general dining room, he was genuinely becoming afraid.

Not just for himself, but for his mother.

For everyone in his life-- even the people he was less protective over.

Or less trusting of, might be a better way to put it.

They sat at the table, there were four places, presumably for Theo and David to join. They probably both needed to sleep, and anyway, Liam liked having time alone with his mother, now more than ever.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him as she sat, and Liam weighed his options before answering.

He didn't feel... good. But he felt a little better than he had before all this. He felt a little calmer if nothing else. More at ease.

He felt better with Theo there, and he felt better being away from that apartment. The missing chunk of hair still weighed on his mind, as did the photos. He was sure they were even more widespread than they were before, but he couldn't think too much about it. He wondered if his mother had seen the photos at all, and if so, what she thought of them.

"I'm... fine." Liam ventured, knowing that he was a shit liar. Acting was one thing. He could act. But could he lie? To his own mother. Never.

She just raised her brows at him.

"You're not fine. You're freaked out, because anyone would be... and you had an ordeal yesterday."

She could read him like a book anyway. "Yep, I am all of those things. But since you already have a secret radio frequency into my brain hole, why do you need me to tell you how I'm feeling?" He grumbled, feeling like a small child again.

"Liam." She sighed and he relented.

"Fine, fine." He grumbled, "I'm fucking terrified. Someone is... texting me and taking photos of me asleep and... and commenting on my childhood bed sheets and... doing all kinds of shit..." He said quietly, "And all of that was bad enough. But now, cutting my hair and... and people assaulting me in airports. Is this just my life now? Will I never be allowed to go anywhere on my own ever again?"

She frowned at him, "There's nothing I can say to fix that." She said softly, and Liam knew that was true. "But I am sorry you're going through it... And at the very least, Theo seems like a good person to have around all the time...?" She offered.

Liam nodded slowly. "I guess. It's not really about whether or not he's a good person though. It's about the fact that I need someone there at all. And the fact that I do is..." He sighed, "I sound ungrateful. I know how lucky I am. I know how great my life and job is and I know there are probably a million people out there who would say I'm entitled for even being upset right now. But it's just... it's an adjustment. It's like mourning the life I was meant to have. With like, privacy and the ability to eat in a place with normal people."

"Yeah... you're right, that's a lot. And you're right that you probably need time to adjust. I guess I'm just... trying to find the silver lining. But I know I'm not meant to do that. I'm meant to just... be understanding, right? That's what my therapist said. No telling you how to feel, just acknowledging that it fucking sucks..."

Liam smiled at his mother. "You're so weird." He told her with a warm smile. "But thanks."

She gave him a little smile, "You're welcome... But really... I know emotionally you're not the best right now, but are you... going to be okay?"

He nodded slowly, "Like you said, it's not so bad having Theo around. And y'know, I already had people around a lot of the time anyway. The band or Hayden and Corey or Scott or Mason. It's not so different," He tried to rationalise, because none of this was his mothers' fault and he had to try to look on the bright side of things, lest he spiral into sadness about it all.

She gave him a smile, "He was good yesterday." She said slowly, "Theo. I had no idea what to do. David didn't either, we just... floundered, not knowing what to do. In shock, I guess. But he was so quick. I was worried about what might've happened if he hadn't gotten that man off you so fast."

Liam stared off into the distance, trying hard not to go back to that place in his mind again. It made him anxious to think about, and Liam was anxious about too many things already without being back in that place mentally. "Yeah." He nodded, "I know he feels bad he didn't stop it happening at all, but it came so out of left field, and he and I were having a serious conversation about something else, so..." He trailed off.

"I suppose at the end of the day, it's a job. If he does less than his job, he probably feels bad about that. I don't think you need to worry though, I'm sure he'll be more on guard next time."

Liam actually wasn't worried at all about Theo's ability to be on guard. He was always on guard, always paying attention. He'd woken up so quickly when Liam had left to get ice cream with Mason.

He had the horrible thought that Theo might've been feigning sleep before, but for his own sanity, he was going to choose to ignore that horrific thought. Cuddling up with someone who'd already rejected him was embarrassing enough; he didn't need to extend it.

"So... things are going well then?" She asked again, and Liam suddenly realised she was fishing.

"Do you not trust him?" He asked, never one to beat around the bush too much.

"It's not that I don't trust him." She began, sighing, "It's that he's spending twenty-four hours around my son. I actually really like him. I just want to make sure that you do too. That it seems like a good fit."

Liam nodded slowly. He could tell his mother was trying to do the right thing, and he could respect that. "Yeah, I mean... It started off a little rocky, but... mostly he's nice. And I think he's good at his job. He's certainly good with crisis management."

"What does that mean?" Jenna asked.

"Oh... just... I think he's probably stopped me from having quite a few panic attacks over the past week and a bit."

Had it really only been a bit over a week? The idea seemed... ludicrous. It felt like he had known Theo for years, felt like he had been stuck in this hellscape of being stalked for years. It couldn't be true, obviously, but it felt that way.

He supposed they had bonded over the bullshit of it all, and while Liam still had reservations about spending so much time with the other man (mostly fuelled by his own humiliation), he could see that it had been very helpful to him, even just on the level of having someone to comfort him.

There were more obvious choices to fill that role. Mason, Scott, Hayden, Corey... but in truth, Liam liked having Theo there. He couldn’t fully explain it or put words to it, but Theo had a way of making his fears feel validated, whilst also calming him down.

If one of the others told him to calm down, Liam knew himself well enough to know that would anger him.

“Well, that’s good. Is that part of his job?”

Liam actually hadn’t considered that before. Was it part of his job or was he just good at it. “Don’t know. He probably has some sort of crisis training, you’d think...” He trailed off, realising he had no idea.

“Well, I’m sure Scott wouldn’t have recommended him unless he was good.” She shrugged, and Liam smiled again. It was nice how tight his little unit had remained despite his name recognition growing and his life changing.

“And everything else? The movie and the interviews and stuff? Are you feeling good about those?” She asked the question in a small voice, and Liam shrugged.

“I guess.” He looked down at the tablecloth, ignoring the weirdness of someone coming and putting a breakfast buffet out just for the two of them, until he was able to thank the wait staff. “I was feeling much more confident before all this. My biggest fan or whatever is going to tank my career.”

“I’m sure Scott could arrange to fix some of your scheduling. Move the interview and gig back till next weekend or something.”

Liam shook his head, “Can’t do it. We’ll be filming the movie by then. As it is I haven’t been rehearsing anywhere near as much as I should... I’m meant to move into that house this weekend and I’m just tempted to pay someone to do it for me because I don’t want to go back to that apartment.”

Jenna’s eyes softened, “Honey, you don’t have to pay someone, your friends and family can help out. David and I. Scott and Mason...”

Liam knew she was trying to be kind, but he felt so weird and on edge that he’d rather not have anyone around his stuff anymore than they had to be. “Mom... No offence, but I don’t really want you guys there either. I don’t know what this person is capable of and...”

She frowned, “And you think we might be in danger too?”

He shrugged, “I don’t particularly want to risk it.” He admitted, “They cut my hair, Mom.” Liam could feel that exhausted weight settling over him again. “They— they photographed me sleeping. And now there are online arguments about whether I’m dating Theo or Hayden and everyone’s sharing this horrible, vulnerable photo of me and I...”

He trailed off, running his hands through his hair, emotion welling up in his chest.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” She said softly. “You shouldn’t have to sell your safety just to be an actor.”

She was right, yet here Liam was.

“Theo’s— Theo’s great but I can’t stand having to rely on someone else just to exist. Someone who doesn’t even like me for that matter.”

“Oh, well, that’s just not true.”

Liam raised his brows.

“Well, I saw how worried he was when you were hurt yesterday. Yes, it’s his job, but he was clearly concerned about you, personally. I thought you two were quite close?”

He blinked, “Why would you think that?” His expression twisted, “Mom, I swear, if you’re seriously buying into all that tabloid shit...”

“No!” She defended, “I don’t believe that you’re like, secret star crossed lovers from childhood dating against Hollywood’s wishes or anything weird like that. I just thought, from the photos, you did seem genuinely close.”

Liam shrugged, “Like I said, I don’t think he likes me all that much.” Theo was kinda hot and cold, and while Theo did seem to like him in theory, in practice was far harder. Or at least, it seemed that way, since Theo seemed to be constantly done with Liam’s shit until Liam was sad.

Jenna seemed unconvinced, but didn't criticise Liam for his comment this time. Instead, she shrugged thoughtfully and glanced up at him as Liam. "Well, I suppose it doesn't really matter whether or not he likes you. What matters is whether or not he's good at his job. And it certainly seems like he's been doing a good job."

Liam nodded. She made a fair point, and it made Liam realise how he must sound. Like a school-kid with a crush on someone who didn't like him back. Which was, honestly, kind of how he felt lately.

Especially after waking up all wrapped around Theo like some kind of lost puppy.
"You're right. I'm being oversensitive, obviously." He said slowly, nodding his head. "I guess I'm just in a kind of a weird place."

She smiled warmly, "I know, love. That makes total sense for you to be. Has anything else happened?" She asked.

Liam shrugged, "My phone is back in the room, switched off. I guess if I'm going to have a few days off, I'm going to have a few days off."

She smiled again, patting his hand. "Good idea, love. Just hang out, we can play games or watch movies or something, we'll sort it out." Liam thought for a moment about how much he truly appreciated his mother, how kind she was being. None of it had been easy for her. Liam was always gone, people were always badgering her for information about him. Now with all the stalker stuff, he was concerned about how it all affected them. "Besides, if the studio or Scott or Lydia or Mason need anything, they can get through me or Theo."

"Love you." Liam said quietly, because he really did, and because he wanted her to know he appreciated her. Appreciated how hard all this must be for her and for David.

"Love you too, Li. I'm glad you've had so much success, I hope it's been worth it for you."

Their breakfast went by relatively quickly after that, before they both went back to their respective rooms. Liam wanted to shower, check on things. See if Theo knew about his weird, late night, accidental cuddling.

When he got back to the room, Theo was making the bed. Liam hadn't known he was the type, but somehow he wasn't exactly surprised. His things were neatly packed away and he'd clearly showered and gotten dressed. Liam tried not to be pleasantly surprised by how he looked.

"So... big morning?" Theo asked as he continued neatly patting the bed down.

Liam's brows furrowed, "No... I went to breakfast with my Mom."

Theo snorted, "No, I know, I meant... never mind."

Liam didn't know what that meant, but he had a feeling he should be embarrassed, so he focused on trying to keep his cheeks from going red, which usually only made it worse.

Liam knew he should just leave it alone, it was embarrassing enough already without Liam bringing it up again, just in case Theo was being polite. Yet, he couldn't stop his mouth from running away with itself. He was always like this when he was young, but Liam thought he had grown out of just saying things without being able to stop himself. Apparently not.

"I thought you said you were a light sleeper."

Theo glanced up, and Liam tried not to notice the way the corners of his mouth quirked up in a smirk. "I am."

That was what Liam was afraid of.

"You didn't get up when my mom came to get me to take me to breakfast..." He trailed off, inwardly cursing himself. Liam never could leave well enough alone. Theo was here, obviously being polite and pretending not to notice Liam had all the independence of a clingy lap dog in bed, but Liam couldn't leave it. It felt safer to know for sure, somehow, even though that would surely be worse for him in the long run.

There was no mistaking it now. Theo was smirking. He was trying hard not to look too much at Liam, which was actually worse, because Theo was clearly trying to be nice, but Liam never could stop. This was why he was an actor and not a writer, he supposed.

"I, uh, thought I'd save your pride."

Fuck.

Liam's face was beet red now, he could feel it without even looking. It was embarrassing enough that this had happened, but in context, it felt so much worse. Here was poor Theo, just trying to do his damned job, and Liam had now not only nearly kissed him, but had also cuddled up to him while asleep. He might as well have just prematurely proposed right there and then.

But he had been so clear. He had told Liam upfront that he didn't like celebrities, that he didn't want a relationship with Liam. He had done his job, and Liam kept taking it too far. He was embarrassed as all hell, trying to figure out what he could possibly say or do to save face in the moment.

"You say that as if my pride is hurt."

Liam wanted to slap himself a little bit. Was he actually stupid? How would wandering off on a little tirade about his pride not being hurt help absolutely anybody? Especially him?

"My mistake," Theo said, raising his hands in faux defeat. Liam knew it wasn't a real defeat by the smirk on his face. He supposed his red face probably gave him away somewhat. "I didn't know you were so liberal with your affection."

Liam cleared his throat. How the fuck did he get out of this? He settled on trying to change the subject. "Nothing important happened?"

Theo's expression fell, and Liam could tell he was trying not to make it obvious.

"I got a text."

Liam frowned, "You did?"

"Yeah, me. Unknown number. Different one. Said something like... you have no right to him."

Liam's jaw clenched. Theo was remaining impressively neutral, probably to calm Liam down, but how could he be calm? Every second he was around these people he put them in danger. And he knew that was Theo's job, literally what he was being paid for, but it didn't make him feel any better about it.

Theo had evidently picked up on the spiral going on in Liam's head, because he took a step closer, "It's fine, Liam. Really."

"No, it's not. How the fuck did they even get your number?" Liam asked, horrified.

"Probably the same way they got yours, Liam." Theo said, sounding tired. "It's fine. They're probably upset they're not getting onto you and they're trying to bait me into giving some indication of where you are."

Liam opened his mouth to speak, but Theo was already turning away. "David and I are going to get breakfast together, since you and your mom left us behind." He paused, and Liam wondered why he was cutting this so short. He wanted to say more, but Theo was halfway out the door already when he added, "By the way... you talk in your sleep."

The door closed behind him, and Liam was totally unprepared for the flirtatious grin he had on his face when he said it, totally unprepared for how astronomically stupid he would feel, for how paranoid he suddenly felt about what he had said. He wasn't sure he was ever going to figure Theo out.

Chapter Text

"Theo, I am not kidding, I will fucking fire you."

Liam was glaring as intently as he could into Theo's soul, but Theo was just laughing his head off, and Liam was doing his best not to let the infectious sound get to him. It was higher than he was expecting, but it was clearly genuine.

"No, I'm not fucking around here, I will fire you."

Jenna scoffed, "Language, Liam."

"Did you not see what he just did?" Liam snapped.

He was glaring at them too, but now the whole table with giggling, and Liam was going to fire them from being his parents too. He wasn't paying for them, but he was paying for their hotel room, so that had to count for something, right?

Sighing deeply, Liam picked up 16 cards and added them to his hand. That only made Theo laugh harder, and Liam was going to shove him off the bed in his sleep.

"I'm never playing anything with you ever again, this is disgusting."

They were still laughing at him, and Liam was telling himself that he knew none of them were loyal to him all along.

"Uno." Theo said quietly, and Liam thought he might flip a table.

"I hate you." Liam grumbled.

"That's nice, dear." Theo said casually, patting Liam on the head as if he was a dog.

"You're sleeping on the floor tonight." Liam grumbled back, and he tried to ignore the way his parents were laughing at the whole situation.

"That's nice, dear." Theo repeated, a smirk pulling at his lips now.

And of course his parents were on Theo's side. Even though Theo blatantly cheated. Liam didn't know how Theo cheated, but it was the only possibility.

He had nearly thirty cards in his hand and Theo was going to win.

He let out a deep sigh as the waiter brought them coffee they had ordered. They had come here for dinner, wound up playing Uno after dinner on the table and ordering coffee and dessert. It was weird, being in this room with only his own family, and he could see why Theo thought celebrities were sort of awful, except Liam wouldn't normally do something like this. But he was paying for it all and he just didn't feel safe being in public anymore.

The round went on again, and, naturally, Theo won. Liam grumpily sipped his hot chocolate and ignored Theo's pointed attempts to get back on his good side. Liam wasn't sure, at a point, if he was even angry anymore or if he was just enjoying Theo's attention.

But hey, he hadn't become an actor because he didn't like attention.

"Are you really gonna make me sleep on the floor?" Theo was asking, widening his eyes in such an obvious attempt at puppy eyes that Liam wanted to laugh, but found himself far too affected by it.

"Yes." Liam grumbled, and his parents stayed quiet, apparently just watching them.

"No, you're not." Theo grinned at him, and Liam narrowed his eyes. Liam thought he was implying something about what had happened the night before, and he would actually kill him if he said something about it in front of Liam's parents.

Liam turned to his parents, who were smiling pointedly at him, and he asked, "So how is your room?"

He could hear Theo chuckling at his side again and he elbowed him hard in the side. Theo made a little 'oof' noise, but only laughed again after.

"It's really nice," Jenna answered with a knowing smile, "Very romantic and clean. How's yours?"

Was this just Liam's life now? All of these people blatantly mocking him to his face? About his hot bodyguard? It was embarrassing, and he was wondering if he should've just stayed in his apartment at this point. Sure, someone might wear his skin, but at least his parents wouldn't imply he was into Theo.

"Well, on that note, it's time for the loser to go to bed." Liam said quickly, getting to his feet.

"Liam, honey--" Jenna began.

"Don't go--" David spoke at the same time.

"Li, come on--"

Liam looked at them all, ran one forefinger over another in a 'shame' symbol, before walking off. They were still all laughing, and Liam was smiling, which made it fairly obvious that he wasn't actually upset, but he was content to just let them bond with Theo instead and save himself the sheer embarrassment of it all. Besides, it would give him time to shower and calm down.

He wasn't not calm exactly-- the whole thing was only ever a joke, albeit an embarrassing one, but it did hit a nerve in one way.

Liam needed to back off his obvious crush on Theo. He didn't even know where it was coming from exactly, they didn't know each other that well, and Theo could be either lovely or rude. Sure, he was hot. Really, really, devastatingly hot, but he was just a guy. And a guy who was there to do his job, not for Liam to gawk over.

He locked the door to the bathroom, stripping off and getting into the shower.

He stood there under the hot water for a few minutes before a shiver ran down his spine. He had no reason to assume he was being watched. He couldn't find anything in the room that could be a camera, couldn't find any indication that anything at all was wrong, yet he found himself feeling like someone was there. Like someone was watching. He found himself struggling to breathe a little more, and he should have stayed with his family, because at least then he had forgotten. But now he was alone in this room, and he had no idea who was there, and hard as he tried to ignore it, every time his hands ran through his hair to wash it, he felt a little sick thinking about how someone had a lock of his hair somewhere out there.

He tried not to think about what else they might have photos of, what else they might have witnessed. He tried not to feel so afraid, tried to calm himself down. Theo had promised that only the four of them even knew where Liam was. Nobody else could possibly know. Yet Liam couldn't shake the feeling. The itching under his skin of being watched.

He washed his hair as quickly as he good and got out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist before he busted out of the bathroom in a hurry, feeling like he couldn't breathe in the steamy, overwhelmingly echoing room.

"Liam?"

Theo was laying on the bed, legs folded over, a book in his hands when Liam burst out of the bathroom looking, undoubtedly, like a mess. He had seemed like he was relaxing, but he sat up immediately, brows furrowed in concern.

Liam took sharp, desperate breaths. It wasn't like he'd never had panic attacks before this. He'd had them in school, and a little bit on his first few jobs, but never like this. Never the same overwhelming feeling that he couldn't feel his chest with air. Never the same overwhelming fuzziness that settled over his eyes and his ears. He ran his hands through his hair, dropping to sit on the edge of the bed. The whole thing would probably be less weird if Liam wasn't wearing only a towel, but he could hardly fix that now, not when he was so focused on trying to calm down. He didn't want another incident in the airport, where he blacked out and had to be looked after like an infant.

"Li," Theo slid off the bed, kneeling at Liam's side, staring at Liam.

Liam's head was swimming, and he couldn't focus on Theo's eyes. He couldn't make out the colour. All he could do was think about how shallow and useless his breath felt, how overwhelmed.

"Li..." Theo took his hands, which were still dripping wet, just like the rest of him. He sounded concerned, but Liam didn't have the capacity to consider too deeply what he was feeling or doing. "What happened, are you okay?"

Liam tried to suck in air, tried to calm himself down enough to explain. "I just..." He tried again, but he couldn't find the words, like he couldn't make sense of it.

Theo was still trying to get his attention, still trying to calm him down, "Hey, Li," He whispered, "I'm right here, you're not alone, you're safe, no one else is here." He spoke quickly and intently, leaning forward and pushing some of Liam's sopping wet hair off his forehead and back behind his ears. "Tell me what happened..."

Liam swallowed hard, and he found that if he really tried, he could focus on Theo's eyes. Right then, they looked green. Really green. Liam's eyes fluttered and he managed to calm down enough to speak. "I just... I was in the shower and I-- I just couldn't shake the feeling someone was watching me."

Theo got up, walking off and returning with a towel, which he rubbed over Liam's hair, as if he was trying to dry it.

"Everything's going to be totally okay," Theo said, his voice soft and gentle. "We're going to get you dried and into pyjamas and then we can just lay down and talk, alright? Nobody's getting anywhere near you tonight except me."

Liam thought Theo was trying hard to distract him, and truthfully, it was working.

"Okay..." Liam nodded slowly, and Theo kept rubbing the towel over his hair. "I feel like I'm your dog."

"What?" Theo asked, clearly confused.

"The way you're drying my hair. It's how people try to dry their dogs after bathing them."

Theo snorted, "You are determined to find some way that I'm doing the wrong thing, aren't you, Pup?"

"Pup?"

"Yes, well. If I'm going to dry you like my dog, I may as well talk to you like one too."

Liam let out a breathy laugh, but the fact that he was even laughing when he'd felt like he couldn't breathe a minute before seemed sort of amazing.

After a few more minutes, when most of Liam was dried off, Theo got up again, digging through Liam's bag and pulling out boxers. He handed them to Liam, clearly being very gentle and patient with him, more so than what Liam was expecting or even really felt like he deserved.

Liam nodded and pulled the boxers on under the towel before dropping the towel and then picking it up, hanging it up in the bathroom.

When he returned, Theo had stripped down to a pair of pyjama pants and was sitting on the edge of the bed, distracted by his phone.

“What’re you reading?”

“Nothing.” Theo said, but Liam realised he didn’t believe him.

He reached forward, snatching the phone off Theo and looked down at it.

It wasn’t just one text, but several.

‘You Don’t Deserve Him.’

‘He Will Never Be Yours.’

‘If You Take Him Away, At Least Send Me A Picture.’

‘Does He Like His New Haircut?’

And, finally, ‘I Will Not Let You Take Him From Me.’

Liam just stared blankly at the phone. “Theo, what the fuck?” He managed.

“Liam... you didn’t need to be freaked out by—“

“No, what the fuck, Theo? This last one is basically a threat, why wouldn’t you tell me that?”

Theo got to his feet, holding his hands up in surrender. “You’re already freaked out. They’re coming at me because they know I’m with you all the time and they can’t stand being ignored. You didn’t need to see this because it’s letting them win.”

Theo reached out gently and took the phone from Liam’s hands, but Liam just stood, staring blankly at the older boy.

“I’m sorry,” Theo added after a moment. “I’m trying to protect you. It’s my job to be your bodyguard. No matter who I was, anyone who wanted to get to you would want to go through me.”

Liam just stood there, staring blankly at Theo. Just over a week. A week and a half. That was how long they’d known each other. Thrown directly into the deep end, twenty four hours a day. Liam didn’t know what he’d do if Theo got hurt because of him.

After a moment, Theo took a step forward and wrapped his arms around Liam in a hug. Theo’s body felt cool and reassuring against Liam’s, which he was sure was hot and clammy. It wasn’t a good time to be wearing only pants, but here they were.

Liam stayed stiff for a moment, eyes staring over Theo’s shoulder, before he tentatively brought his hands up to wrap back around Theo. He could hear Theo’s breathing in his ear, and he tried to count his breaths, to calm down.

When Theo pulled back, he gestured to the bed. “Come on, let’s lay down and we can talk, yeah?”

Liam nodded, and walked stiffly over to the bed, laying down and trying to focus on his chest rising and falling.

He heard Theo take a deep, full breath. “I’m not scared, y’know?”

“And what if you’re wrong not to be?”

Liam’s own voice sounded foreign to his own ears, but he knew he always felt weird and detached after his anxiety built on him like that, this was really no different.

“It’s my job, Li. I know how to fight. I know how to protect myself. I know how to protect you. I get that we’ve... become sort of close and I know now that you worry a lot about putting the people you care about in danger. But if anyone is going to be in danger here, it should be me. I’m the most equipped to handle it and it’s literally what I’m being paid for.”

“I don’t like it.” Liam returned, and he thought maybe he sounded like a stubborn child.

“You hired me to protect you, Li. It’s what I’m paid for. I’m good at my job.”

“Are these all since we got here?”

Theo nodded slowly, “Yes, they are.” He paused, “But I did get more before we arrived. In the interest of being honest with you.”

“Saying what?”

Theo hesitated before speaking. “The same sort of stuff.”

Liam frowned. “Have they actually threatened you?”

He cleared his throat. “No. Just thinly veiled threats thus far. Probably meaningless.”

“Probably meaningless? Theo... this person cut my hair...”

“It’s just hair.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

“Yes, I know.” He sighed. “It’s scary. Everything’s that’s happening here is scary. But you and I, we’re going to be fine, alright? I’m going to keep us both safe.”

Liam nodded and Theo sighed. “C’mere.”

Liam just looked at him in the lamplight of the room. “What?”

“Don’t make it weird. We both know what happened. You’re shivering and I can help. So... just... c’mere.”

He stared at Theo, confused. Was he shivering? Yes, actually. But not out of coldness. Because he felt unsettled and scared.

Still... Theo was right. He felt alone and uncomfortable and he didn’t know how to calm down. He scooted over in the bed, till his side was against Theo. Theo raised his left arm and wrapped it around Liam, effectively pulling him closer in to Theo’s side.

“Thank you,” Liam said, his voice nearly inaudible.

Theo nodded, and he ran his fingers along Liam’s arm where his arm was around him. It was weirdly reassuring and Liam’s eyes were feeling a little bit heavier. He was exhausted, the anxiety draining him too quickly.

“You’re warm,” Theo mumbled and he sounded sleepy himself.

“Sorry,” Liam grumbled, unsure if it was a compliment or an insult.

“No sorry needed,” He shifted a little, pulling Liam closer. Liam gave up and rested his head against Theo’s chest. He felt wildly comfortable here, safe, and he wished he could just stay here forever.

"You suck at keeping this professional." Liam said in a tiny voice, nuzzling into the other boy and getting comfortable.

Theo sighed, tightening his grip on Liam, "Shut the fuck up."

Liam let out a little laugh, because he could hear the smile in Theo's voice, and, platonic or not, this felt like a win.

“Sorry for... being like this.” Liam said quietly, because he couldn’t help himself. Couldn’t help the familiar feeling of shame bubbling up in his chest. He wasn’t supposed to be like this. People looked up to him. He was meant to be something worth looking up to. Strong or smart or... or something else.

Theo was quiet for a moment and Liam wondered whether he was mad at him. He could feel the paranoia around his life like it was enveloping him, but he had no idea how to break free of it. He could feel himself drowning in it, even Theo’s brief silence sending him spiralling.

"There's nothing to apologise for." Theo finally said, sounding tired, "Everything that's going on in your life is getting to you. That's perfectly justified." He brought one hand up, brushing Liam's hair back again. Liam let his eyes close. He knew in the morning, Theo would likely be back to his 'keep it professional' mindset, but Liam didn't care. He needed this right now and he suspected that Theo knew that. "It's okay to be scared when someone is... coming at you like this. You're trying so hard to be fine that it's backfiring on you..."

Liam frowned, "This is the most distant I've ever been from fans..." He said quietly, feeling like a wanker even saying those words. "I hate it. I promised I wasn't going to be one of those people, that I was going to make people feel as recognised and special as I could."

"You don't owe them your life, Li. You tried to be accessible and this happened. It's okay to look after yourself."

Liam knew that, logically, yet his instinctive reaction was to argue. "I don't deserve any of this. The least I can be is grateful."

"What is it that you think you don't deserve?"

Liam paused a second, thinking. "I... don't know. The money. The recognition. Fans. Followers. Any of it. I don't deserve it. There are way smarter, more talented people who will spend their lives struggling for a paycheck and I'm... I'm crying in a shower? I... I should be more grateful."

Liam was sure he could hear from the frown in Theo's voice. "None of this is your fault, Li. You live in a tiny apartment because you give a lot of your money away. You stop and talk to fans for hours at a time. You talk to people and follow them on your social media. You didn't decide to be famous or adored or whatever. But you do the most you can do with it. I don't understand what more you expect of yourself."

Liam sighed, trying to internalise that. He wanted to believe it, he really wanted to believe that Theo was right and that he offered enough to his fans and to his friends with all the privilege he had been given, but none of it ever felt like enough.

"Liam, really. You're beating yourself up over nothing here. Do you... do you never take breaks for yourself?"

Liam just blinked, swallowing down a lump that felt like it was rising in his throat. He never really talked to anyone about this, and he wasn't sure why Theo was any different. Except maybe that he'd spent so long with Liam under extreme distress that they were like... bonded in some weird way Liam couldn't really explain.

"No." Liam finally managed in a small voice.

"Well, consider this your break. And consider me your conscience. I'm going to sit here and remind you that you have to take care of yourself. Anyone who loves you would want that for you."

Liam nodded slowly, though he couldn't exactly feel it... He tried to convince himself that Theo was right, that he needed this, but he still just felt crushing guilt.

"Have you ever looked into IED before?"

Theo shook his head, "Not at length. I know basically though."

"Well, one of the things it's characterised by is... crushing guilt." Liam admitted, clearing his throat. "After the fact."

Theo nodded slowly, "Okay... and what, that guilt stayed even once you got control of your anger?"

Liam nodded, "I think it just developed into... guilt about everything." He admitted.

"You have nothing to feel guilty for. I mean, I didn't even like you a few weeks ago and even I can see you're... a good person."

Liam nodded slowly, "I appreciate that. It's just... easier to say than to do. Dismantling all of that, y'know?"

Theo grinned, "Well, it's a good thing I have such a saviour complex then, isn't it?"

Liam's brows raised and he let out a little, surprised laugh. "I mean, you're... your job is to protect me, so I guess that stands to reason, doesn't it? But like... you don't owe me any more than that."

"And yet... here I am."

*

When Liam woke up, his arms were still wrapped tightly around Theo, as were his legs, which was something he hadn't actually seen coming. It was sort of embarrassing, but he tried to remind himself that it was Theo who'd asked him to come here. Theo who willingly brought him into this... cuddle? He didn't know another word for it. Very professional comfort? The whole thing seemed sort of ludicrous.

Theo's eyes were open when Liam looked up, staring at the ceiling. Liam frowned, quickly untangling his arms and legs from around his bodyguard, "Shit, I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Theo said quickly, "I was the one who told you to come lay with me."

Liam nodded, "Yeah, I know but... I..." He swallowed, "Just... I don't know. I'm sorry."

"You're right, you do have guilt problems."

Liam nodded, "Told you." He cleared his throat, "Were you able to... sleep okay? With... y'know, a koala attached to you like an infant?"

Theo glanced down at him, a smile pulling at his face, "No worse than I usually do. Relax. I don't mind having a koala. Especially if it makes you calmer."

Liam was getting a little too comfortable with Theo and he knew he needed to pull it back, that Theo wanted a professional relationship or whatever, but he was making it damn hard for Liam to remember that when he was still just laying there, all muscles and cute smiles in Liam's direction.

Liam had seen him first thing in the morning before, but this seemed different somehow. Because now he knew things. He knew how Theo's body was cool and how soft his skin was. He knew how it felt to be curled into him. He knew how it felt to have Theo brushing his hair back. He knew what Theo's voice sounded like first thing in the morning, all gravelly and... troublingly attractive. Now that he knew that, it would be far harder to pretend to be just friends. But he was going to. He had to.

For the sake of Theo's own comfort, because he had no right to assume something when he had been explicitly told no. And crush or not... Theo clearly did not feel the same way. So Liam would try as hard as he possibly could to be respectful of that.

He got to his feet and cleared his voice, "What... uh, what time is it? Did we miss breakfast?"

"We can't miss breakfast, it's a private room just for your family." Theo pointed out, brows furrowing.

"Oh." Liam could hear the awkwardness in his own tone and he wondered whether or not Theo could hear it too. He was sure he was smart enough to notice. "Well, uh... I might have a shower and then go get food."

Theo's brows raised, "Do you want me to come?"

Liam choked on his own spit, looking at Theo with wide, confused eyes.

"To eat, Liam." He said, seeming tired.

"Oh..." Liam felt weirdly embarrassed, and he tried hard to regain his sense of normalcy. "Um, yeah, if you want..."

"Okay." He nodded, "Well, I'll be here when you get back." He gave Liam a sort of awkward smile, and Liam couldn't help but wonder if he was nervous.

He had no reason to be, it was him who had rejected Liam after all.

Liam walked off into the shower, taking a t-shirt and pair of sweats with him so that he wouldn't have to wander around half naked in front of Theo anymore than he already had. He figured he didn't need to be made fun of in the bodyguard group chat anymore than he already was.

He got into the bathroom and turned the water on again and in only a few seconds, he was filled with the same sickening feeling of being watched, the same shivers down the spine.
He took heavy breaths, telling himself he was being paranoid. He was safe. No one knew he was here. Theo was right outside. He was fine. He would be fine. But the more he thought about it all, the more nervous and paranoid he became.

He went through the process of showering as quickly as he was able, before getting back out and getting dressed as quickly as he was able. There was no good reason for him to be so paranoid, he knew, but he couldn't help it.

He pulled the shorts on still wet, unable to ignore the growing feeling that he was being watched, that he was too exposed.

He did the same thing as the day before, practically bursting out of the room as if he couldn't breathe.

Theo glanced up again. "Same feeling?" He asked.

Liam nodded, taking a deep breath. "Not as bad, but yeah. I know it's stupid, but I can't... calm down."

Theo nodded slowly, getting to his feet. "It's okay. Everything's okay... Let's just go get breakfast. You can always use your parents shower if that bathroom is really bothering you..."

Liam nodded seriously, running a hand through his hair. "You're right." He said with a nod. "Let's just go."

They had barely sat down at the breakfast table when Theo's phone buzzed. Knowing he was the main point of contact with Liam, he checked it immediately, and his face fell. "I'm going to get our room changed."

Liam frowned, his stomach twisting uncomfortably. Theo so rarely seemed panicked by anything, but he looked genuinely worried now. "What happened?" He asked.

Theo didn't answer and Liam repeated the question, slightly more forceful about it. "Theo, what the fuck happened."

Theo just turned the phone and Liam saw the writing on the screen. He took a sharp breath, but it didn't help him to calm down any.

'Your Boyfriend Looks Good In The Shower.'

Chapter Text

They got into the new room and Liam tried hard to calm his breathing. "Maybe we should just go back to the apartment." Liam whispered, his own voice shaking.

"They're trying to smoke you out, man. I know it feels like nowhere is safe, but they're trying to get you to feel that way. They're trying to get you to go home because they can keep tabs on you easier there."

"How did they even know where I was, Theo?" Liam asked, his own voice shaking, sounding tired and paranoid, overwhelmed. He was.

"I... I wish I had an answer to that," Theo said quietly, "I am sorry, I'm doing the best I can here. I don't know how they're getting to you."

Liam's expression fell and he stared up at the other boy. "It's not you, right?"

Theo blinked a few times, then looked sort of offended. Hurt, maybe. "Are you serious?" He asked.

Liam tried to calm himself down, tried to quiet the screaming in his own head, but he couldn't. "You know where I am. You know when I shower. You turned up right when this all started happening and we've only gotten closer this whole time."

"Liam, seriously, I've--"

"I need a second," Liam said quickly, turning and walking out of the hotel room, closing the door behind him.

Once he was out of the room, he began walking, finding the staircase and walking until he got to the very top. The hotel was tall, and the roof was windy and freezing. If he had thought better of it, he'd have brought a jumper with him, a beanie even, but as it stood, it was just him.

He sat down on the edge of the roof. It was thick, big enough that he didn't need to worry about falling off, so he sat and crossed his legs over, just staring out at the skyline in front of him.

He felt like Spiderman for a moment, and he wished he could just swing away from his problems, wished he could just leave this place and not return any time soon. It wasn't that he really thought it was Theo, it was just that he couldn't figure out who else it could conceivably be. Theo was with him all hours of the day, Theo was getting closer to him all the time, Theo had brought him here so that they could stay together, alone, for multiple days.

Liam's phone was off, and now Theo was getting these messages, which only made Liam feel more dependent on him.

He didn't think it was Theo. It couldn't be Theo... So why did it seem like it was Theo?

He realised that he didn't have his phone, that no one could actually find him up here unless he was bugged or something, but that kind of helped. Sure, he might get stuck on this roof and starve to death, but at least he wouldn't spend his last few hours staring at his phone wondering if someone was going to kidnap him and force him to marry them in a basement or something.

Besides, Theo and his parents had each other down there and Liam had said he needed a moment, so he could only hope Theo wouldn't panic and would just accept that explanation. He'd left the door ajar so that he would be able to get back into the hotel room later, though really, Liam just wanted to lay up here and ponder how he'd gotten to this point in life.

A few years ago, he'd been in high school, some dumb kid who got made fun of for wanting to be an actor, who got bullied by his teammates, who only had one friend in the world. Nowadays, things weren't quite so simple. Now, people knew who he was. Now, hundreds of people approached him every time he left the house. Now, he frequently trended on twitter for things he had no control of.

Only a week and a half ago, Theo had come in guns blazing, talking about how much he hated Liam. Now, barely a week later, he'd totally changed his tune. Liam had no idea what had actually changed, unless he was wrong to begin with. Unless Theo had come in like that so that Liam would assume he hated him. Assume he was safe. They had gone from hatred to... laying together in bed so quickly, that Liam was wondering if he should put more space between them.

If maybe the safest thing for them both was to return to how it had been before.

Maybe they were better off hating each other.

Hours passed and all Liam did was sit there and think. Think about his childhood. Think about his sudden and extreme rise to fame. Think about the money and the publicity and whether or not any of this was worth it.

Think about his friends and family and whether or not he trusted them.

He knew he should. He knew they had given him no reason to distrust him, but right now, he couldn't think of anyone he really, truly trusted besides his parents.

"Liam...?" He heard Theo's voice behind him, and when he turned, the man looked far more suited to this weather than Liam did. He had a coat on and a beanie on top of that. It was cold up here, and far later in the day than when Liam had come up, and it had only gotten colder. The skies were overcast and grey and Theo's eyes seemed to match them.

Liam took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Theo was there, and while Liam couldn't really trust him, he could here the way he was trying to be polite. The way he was trying to be reassuring.

"Did something happen?" He asked.

"No, you just... you just didn't come back and I got worried."

Liam frowned and shook his head, "I'm fine. I just needed time alone."

Theo took a deep, concerned breath. "Okay... Well, you're going to get sick if you stay up here and it is my job to be with you." He paused, "Do you want to go back down or should I stay up here with you?"

"Is neither an option?" Liam asked flatly and Theo just blinked at him.

"I'm being paid to--"

"I just need time alone, Theo."

He frowned, "I'm not leaving you up here alone, Liam, I'm sorry. It's too dangerous and it goes against my contract."

Liam sighed, "Fine. Then we'll go back down."

Theo turned away to continue walking and Liam walked behind him. "So that's it now?" Theo asked, "You just don't trust me?"

Liam shrugged, "Honestly? Why should I?"

Theo's expression hardened, and he nodded once. "Fine. Why don't you fire me then?"

Liam thought about it for a moment. He could. He could just fire Theo and be done with this. It probably wouldn't stop anything though, and Liam didn't think there was anyone he could hire that he would trust any more than he did Theo.

"Because I don't trust anyone else either."

"Fine." Theo repeated, holding the door open for Liam to walk through.

They walked back down towards the hotel room in silence and when they entered the room, Liam realised the new room, the one Theo had gotten them changed to, had two beds. Good. Liam didn't want to share with Theo. He didn't want to put his trust in someone who seemed not to deserve it. Besides, Theo had been a dick to him for no reason in the beginning. Liam figured he didn't owe him anything past a paycheck.

He moved to the bed furthest from the door, and lay down on it silently, reaching over to take his phone.

"Why would you do that?" Theo asked, watching him.

"Check your phone."

He shrugged, "Because right now, you're my only contact here."

"Right." Theo nodded, "And you think I'm stalking you. That I've been here alone with you for days and rather than trying anything with you, I've been sending myself text messages."

Liam shrugged, "Your text messages are the reason we wound up cuddling last night."

Theo scoffed, annoyed, "Sure, except you clung to me like a baby the first night without any texts to me."

The phone lit up and Theo sighed again. "Who else would be able to see me in the shower, Theo?"

Theo sighed, "Wish I could tell you, I really do, but it wasn't me."

On his phone, things were... weirdly quiet.

He had a few texts from unknown numbers, but they were mostly sort of innocuous. There were photos of him sleeping, which weren't overly reassuring, but none of that was new information. There was a text from an unknown number telling him telling him 'I Miss You'.

Unsettling and weird, sure, but not new.

"I have another text." Theo said begrudgingly, almost as if he didn't want to admit it.

Liam glanced up, nodding to Theo as if to tell him to go ahead.

"It says, 'enjoy your time with him, it won't last long'."

Liam frowned. "Sounds like a threat," He said quietly.

"Uh-huh." Theo confirmed sarcastically, "Guess that means I'm threatening myself, right?"

They fell into silence for a moment, before Liam spoke again. "If it's not you, if I'm wrong, then I'm really sorry. You shouldn't have to get threatened because of me."
Liam's phone buzzed, and another message came through.

'You're Back. I Missed You.'

Liam took a sharp breath and then switched the phone off. Theo was right, he just shouldn't have turned it on at all.

Theo sighed and glanced up, "Just come here."

Liam got to his feet, tiredly, and moved over to Theo's bed, sitting down beside him. They weren't touching in any way, and it was entirely possible it was still Theo, but Theo was also all he had right now. And he didn't want to sit there alone anymore.

"Are you okay?" Theo asked slowly. No, he wasn't really, but he didn't know how to say that. He felt like an idiot. Whether he was wrong about Theo or right, he still felt like an idiot. Because if he was wrong, he was alienating his only true ally in this. If he was right, he was sitting at his own stalker's side, leaning on him more and more every day.

"No." Liam finally said.

"That's fair." Theo said slowly, taking a deep breath. "Look... I can see why you might think it was me. But I promise you, it's not. I, uh... I wouldn't do this to you."

Liam knew that was what any stalker would say, that it doesn't actually mean anything, but he wanted to believe Theo. He really, really did.

"We could play Uno with your parents again? I'll even promise not to screw you again?"

Liam took a deep breath and nodded. As much as he didn't trust Theo, and really, he didn't. How could he? He had no better options.

"We'll have to go down to dinner soon anyway." Liam was exhausted, he felt like his eyes were hanging out of his head.

It was barely an hour later when the two of them found their way down into their dining room, both dressed a little more nicely. Liam's parents weren't there yet, so the two of them sat in near silence. Things had gotten more awkward now, what with Liam essentially admitting he didn't trust Theo.

When they arrived, the four tried to talk, but Liam thought it was probably obvious how awkward things had become between the two of them.

“So... Brett called me earlier.” Jenna spoke casually, as if this was a totally normal occurrence.

“Oh?” Theo asked, cutting off Liam’s own reply, which had honestly just been basically the exact same word.

“He wants you all to meet up tomorrow for practice. Before the performance, y’know?” She paused, “Apparently they’ve arranged for it all to take place in your new residence, interview and concert, so whatever talk show host it is will be coming to your place. I guess they’re having it decorated to look convincing and appropriate today.”

Liam frowned, “I don’t even know where it is yet.” He had basically come to accept the total lack of control he had in his own life at this point, but this was something else again. A home to share while filming was generous, and certainly uncommon. Liam figured it was at least partly PR, to show how close they all were, but now this, bringing his band out, having it decorated. It was absolutely PR. Liam’s safety breach worried them, he was sure, but this wasn’t really about that. This was about what they could gain from it.

David frowned, "We don't either. Apparently Scott and Lydia have both seen it though, and they both think it'll be good for you."

"And you'll get to see it tomorrow." Jenna cut in. It was clear they were all trying to make him feel better, but it wasn't particularly working.

Liam nodded slowly, "Okay, I guess."

Things felt awkward and stilted, maybe that was Liam's fault, maybe the energy he was putting out was hostile or uncomfortable. He was hostile and uncomfortable. He felt like his life had spiralled out of his control and he had been too busy trying to do the right thing to even notice it happening.

"What is this?" Jenna asked suspiciously, gesturing between Liam and Theo. "Why are you being weird? Did you have some kind of squabble?"

How, in only a few days together, had Jenna clocked their dynamic quickly enough to be able to tell that something was wrong? What even was their dynamic? Someone always hated the other until something went wrong, then suddenly they were cuddling, then someone hated the other again?

It was so stupid that Liam actually wondered if he'd invented it in his head, or if it had be written by some low budget tv showrunner.

"What do you mean?" Liam asked, trying to evade the question.

Acting was different. Acting, he was good at. Lying to his mother, he was not good at.

"Did you have some kind of domestic dispute?" She asked and Liam heard Theo beside him choke on his water.

"Mom..."

"You're not subtle."

Who gave her the right to be so observant about him? Who gave her the right to be so immune to his professional lying abilities?

"Mom..."

"Liam thinks I might be his stalker."

Liam looked over at Theo, the offended look on his face indicating that perhaps Theo had slapped him with this confession.

"Honey... you're not that stupid." Jenna said, her voice sympathetic, as if she was hoping he wasn't that stupid, but wasn't actually sure.

"I don't..." He sighed, "It's not that simple. It's just that... weird shit keeps happening. Weird shit is always happening and Theo's always here and... if it was him, he only benefits out of terrifying me more because it just brings us closer."

That might be more than Liam wanted to give away about their relationship, about how close they were becoming, but if they were calling each other out, Liam figured it was his turn.

"I'm here because it's my job to be here, dumbass. And believe it or not, not everyone wants you. I'm not stalking you and frankly, I wouldn't have to stalk you if I was interested."

Liam's eyes narrowed, his annoyance only building. "Oh yeah, because you totally have never seemed like you wanted me before. And how did they know when I was in the shower, Theo? How did they even know what hotel I'm in, us four are the only ones who know!"

Theo scoffed, "Please. Just because all your fangirls on twitter want you doesn't mean I do." He snapped, eyes narrowing. "I don't know how they knew, Liam, that's why I moved our room."

David cleared his throat, getting to his feet. "I might go see... when the food is getting here. Jenna, would you like to come?" He asked, obviously giving them an out to this incredibly awkward conversation. Honestly, Liam had sort of forgotten they were there, he had gotten so into the stupid argument.

They walked away, and Liam and Theo plunged into silence, both staring at the table. Liam sort of wished he had his phone back, if only so he could passive aggressively type and ignore Theo without it being quite so obvious. Now, with neither of them having anything to do, they just had to sit there, in the awkwardness they'd so stupidly created.

Liam knew what he had to say to end this. He just had to say he was being stupid and that he knew it wasn't Theo. It seemed easy enough to do, yet he couldn't force the words out.

"I'm not trying to scare you into fucking me."

Liam's eyes fluttered in confusion, unable to force himself to meet Theo's eyes. He didn't answer, partly because he had forgotten how to breathe momentarily, and partly because he had no idea what to say.

"Frankly, you already made a move on me. I wouldn't have to do that."

"How many times are you going to bring that up?" Liam grumbled, staring at the tablecloth.

"Until you get it through your head that I'm not your fucking stalker." Theo sighed.

Liam took a sharp breath. "Look... I'm... I'm sorry if it offends you, but... surely you can understand why I'm so paranoid?" He asked, a frown on his lips. "A month ago, it was just me. Living life. I mean, sure, people took photos and sent weird tweets and shit, but I felt safe. Now... now I can't have a shower without someone seeing and commenting. Now I can't even know my home is safe. I can't live on my own. I can't even have dinner in the hotel dining room. I feel like I'm going crazy, Theo. I don't trust anybody."

Theo's expression softened and he leaned a little closer to Liam. Had it really only been nearly two weeks since they met? Was that even possible? How had their relationship shifted so significantly in such a short period of time?

Liam remembered when he thought Theo seemed like a total douchebag. He remembered how rude the man had been, how dismissive of him. He was still dismissive a lot of the time, but he also... truly seemed to care now, at least a little. He truly seemed concerned about Liam, at least when Liam was really upset.

"I know." Theo finally said, his voice far softer than it had been a few moments before. "I know. I just... it's not me. You're right, it seems weird that they know this shit, I know that too. Even I was surprised by it. But Liam, I'm not trying to scare you into my arms or anything. I'm just trying to... help. I'm trying to keep you safe."

He seemed sincere, and Liam forced himself to nod.

"I understand why you don't trust anyone. That's totally understandable. But you've got to trust me. If you don't trust me, if you don't tell me the truth, I can't protect you. And then you're just throwing money down the toilet."

Liam laughed a little despite himself, though his voice sounded sort of weak and emotional even to himself.

"If you want me to back off a bit, I will. I'll do my job, quietly, from a distance. That way, you don't have to feel like they're pushing you towards me."

Liam nodded slowly. It wasn't really what he wanted, but Theo made a point. If he kept a distance and things kept happening, then it stood to reason that it couldn't be him.

The dinner after that was far quieter and calmer. The awkwardness never really went away, but all the tension had been sapped out of the room, leaving just empty space between them all. They ate, and no one offered a game of Uno, no one offered a movie night or dessert. They all just went back their respective ways, and by the time Liam lay back on his own bed, he felt like his eyes were stinging for how tired he really was. Sleep hadn't been good lately, and the last week had felt like a year.

"Liam..."

The concerned sound in Theo's voice made Liam feel sick. Theo had been a minute behind him, only just entering the room when Liam's eyes had started to drift closed. "What?" He asked, nervousness creeping in.

"You... left your phone on the charger, no?"

Liam sat up, eyes widening. "Yes. Why?"

The charging cord had been cut, straight down the middle. It didn't look like an accident or like an animal, it looked like a pair of scissors.

Theo took the phone off the little piece that was still plugged into it, and threw the phone on the floor, before stomping on it with the heel of his combat boot.

The screen cracked beneath his feet, but Theo stomped on it several more times, until it was barely recognisable. Liam just watched, too numb to care about his phone or the contents on it.

Chapter Text

“I just want to get the fuck out of here.” Liam grumbled, and he could feel Theo’s eyes on the back of his head as he sat, staring straight ahead.

“We’re going today—“

“No, that’s not what I mean.” Liam cut Theo off, scratching half heartedly at his hair. “I wanna go. Like, go go. Back home or... freaking Sweden or something, I don’t know. I’m sick of this. I’m sick of executives and fans and absolutely no peace or privacy. I’m losing my mind.”

Theo was frowning, Liam could practically feel it.

“I’m sorry, Li.” He said quietly, “I really wish I could just fix this for you. I’ve reported it all to the police, the shower and everything, but they didn’t find anything.”

“It’s not your fault,” Liam mumbled tiredly. “I just can’t trust anyone or sleep or... have an even haircut anymore.” His eyes felt like they were stinging, and he wasn’t sure whether it was caused by his stress or his tiredness.

Theo sighed, “I’ll keep away from you, okay? You just relax and do whatever you want till we leave to go to the new house. I’ll just be quietly back here to make sure you don’t die.”

Liam shook his head, “No phone. No friends. No peace. I don’t want to be left alone. I want to be distracted.”

Theo thought for a moment, “Sing to me.”

Liam balked at the suggestion, confused. “What?”

“Sing. You said you barely get time for music anymore and I’m a captive audience and a new fan. Sing anything to me.”

“Uh... I’m scared.”

“How the fuck can you be scared? You play to hundreds of people. You speak at panels with hundreds of people! Thousands sometimes! How can you be scared of me?”

“This is way worse.” Liam argued, shaking his head. “When I’m singing to a crowd, it’s just a performance. They don’t feel real. You’re right here. A real person I spent twenty-four hours a day with. It’s not like a concert, it’s like I’m... serenading you.”

“Okay.” Theo agreed. “Serenade me then. Can’t promise I won’t swoon.” He teased.

Liam could feel his cheeks burning and he tried to brush it off.

“What do you want me to sing?” Liam asked, nervousness rising in his chest.

“I don’t know. What do you want to sing?”

Liam grumbled about decisiveness under his breath, then shrugged and began singing a song he and Brett had written together some time back. It was a love song, not specifically about anyone. Singing it acapella like this was totally different to how it wound sound when they finally recorded it, but Liam figured that was fine for the setting.

He sang mostly with his eyes closed, finding that if he sang with his eyes open too much, he panicked under Theo’s fixed gaze.

Theo had barely broken eye contact the whole time that Liam had seen, listening and watching intently, his facial expression attentive and unmoving.

Liam’s voice had always been kind of rough. He wasn’t any perfect singer; that worked fine for their music though. More scratchy and alternative sounding songs.

Still, he worried Theo might just thing he was another untalented actor trying to claw his way into music as another paycheck. That really wasn’t it. Liam’s mom had gotten him into music and theatre when he was young, and he’d never fallen back out of music.

He wouldn’t ever be some flawless, operatic voice, but he liked to think he could sing.

When he finished the song, he let his eyes open slowly, feeling like he wouldn't be able to let out a breath until Theo reacted.

Theo was just sitting there, totally unmoving, totally unaffected. Liam wondered whether he was trying to think of something nice to say. Some way to sugar coat the fact that he thought Liam was shit or something. He could feel panic starting to creep into his veins, and he opened his mouth to apologise or to say he knew he wasn't very good or the like.

But before he could say a word, Theo darted forward on the bed, lips pressing firmly against Liam's. Liam barely had a second to realise what was happening before it was over. He barely got to register how soft Theo's lips were, or the way he had put his hands firmly on either side of Liam's face. He barely had time to register how his heart jumped and his stomach flipped before Theo was basically on the other side of the room.

"Fuck, I'm sorry." He said quickly.

Liam just blinked at him, totally lost for words, totally breathless.

"I shouldn't have done that." He mumbled, sounding breathless himself. "I'm-- I'm here for work. I'm not fifteen years old anymore, jesus christ." He began pacing and Liam just stared, still trying to figure out what was going on or what had just happened.

Liam blinked at him, "What do you mean you're not fifteen?" Liam asked, barely grabbing onto something to say.

Theo glanced over at him, rolling his eyes. "Oh, come off it, Liam. It's fine that you've changed or whatever, but don't pretend you don't remember."

Liam went from being in a daze of how much he wanted to kiss Theo again to being confused and sort of offended very quickly. The way Theo spoke was unmistakably judgemental, like Liam had done something horrible to him. Only, Liam hadn't. He was sure he'd never even spoken to the kid.

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about Theo. We met two weeks ago."

Theo stoped pacing and turned to stare at him. "Don't. Don't lie to me. You can pretend you were always a good person to everyone else, but not to me."

Liam just blinked again, his own temper starting to rise. "I don't know what the fuck you're talking about, Theodore. So either tell me or fuck off with this vague bullshit, because you just kissed me and now you're accusing me of something I have no recollection of."

Theo didn't answer, he just made a scoffing sound as he resumed his pacing.

"Theo, what did I do to you? I don't even remember you from school..." Liam's voice was softer this time, trying hard to get through to Theo, who Liam had never seen looking so panicked.

Theo turned to look at him again, but his face was covered in anger and a bitterness Liam really didn't expect. "Forget it." He snapped, turning and walking out of the hotel room, leaving Liam there alone and wondering what the fuck had just happened.

Liam brought a hand up to his lips, before staring at the closed door where Theo had been a minute before.

He walked out into the hall, which was blessedly empty, and made his way quickly down to where he knew his parents were staying.

When his mother answered the door, Liam asked her for her phone and she handed it over, clearly confused.

"Theo broke my phone and I need to talk to Mason."

He barely said anything else before he went off with the phone, returning to his spot on the windy -- and again, blessedly empty -- roof.

He dialled Mason's number, which he knew anyway, despite it already being saved into his mothers' phone.

Mason picked up on the second ring, and he sounded concerned instantly. "Jenna? Is everything okay? Is Liam alright?"

"It's Liam." He answered back, still sounding breathless somehow despite time having passed between their last conversation and now.

"Liam?" He could picture Mason's face. The way his brows would crinkle with concern and, if he were in front of Liam, he'd probably put his hands on Liam's shoulders, something he'd done since Liam was a kid to calm him down. It almost always worked. "Are you okay?"

"What did I do to Theo?" He asked, barely pausing to explain any of the background.

"Huh?"

"What did I do to Theo in high school? Why does he hate me? Why did he hate me? Why... what did I do?"

There was a moment of silence before Mason sighed into the phone. "What's happened?" He asked, and Liam thought that, while he was acting weird, it would be easier if Mason could just answer his question and then ask for details.

"I don't know. He just started acting super weird. Saying I should remember what I did to him in high school. But I genuinely don't... even really recall him. I can vaguely picture a kid version of him, but I don't even know if it's real or just something I concocted from knowing Theo now..."

More silence. "Liam..."

"Fucking hell, just tell me. What did I do?"

Mason cleared his throat, "Honestly, I don't know. I don't remember you ever speaking to or mentioning him. But I... do know it's pretty common knowledge he had a crush on you at one point. I heard the rumour a few times that he asked you out to some dance. But you never told me about it and I don't know if it even happened or if it's just a rumour..."

Liam blinked, "I... don't think anyone ever asked me to a dance in high school."

Mason sighed again, and Liam almost felt bad for being gone for a few days and then dragging him into this. "So you don't... know why he hates me then? You don't remember me doing anything mean to him or anything?"

"Honestly, no." Mason said slowly. "He never approached me. The only thing I really remember about him in school was that he had a reputation for being weird because of how quiet and isolated he was after his family died... And that he had a crush on you. That's all I got. I don't even know how people knew."

There was a pause where Liam just chewed on his lip, trying to force up some memory he didn't even think existed to make sense of this.

"What happened? I thought you guys were on good terms now."

"We were." Liam said quietly, "Then he just... he kissed me and then freaked out and started going on about high school. I couldn't get him to elaborate, he just ran off and has been gone since."

"Wait-- what? He kissed you?!"

Mason sounded like he was freaking out, and Liam heard a voice in the background. "Wait a second, is Corey with you?" He asked, brows furrowing in worry.

"Um... Maybe. Maybe Scott and Hayden are also here."

Liam sighed, shook his head, muttered, "Fuck you, dude." And hung up the phone.

He wasn't actually that mad, not really, but he was embarrassed.

He hadn't even figured out what the fuck was going on here and now four other people knew about it. Knowing that group of people, it'd probably make the rounds too.

Liam just sat there for an hour or so longer, staring blankly off at the city.

Liam wasn't exactly a perfect kid in high school. He had been angry, unbalanced. He had been unpopular. He had a lot of problems, and not a lot of friends, and he was never confident. He was pretty sure, no matter how weird Theo might have been in high school, that there was no way he would've done something intentionally cruel though. He was angry, sure, but he wasn't an outright asshole. He just had a condition. He had never been a bully. Certainly not while he was being bullied himself.

He wracked his brain over and over again, fretted on and on, but he couldn't pull up any kind of memory of ever saying or doing anything to Theo. He didn't even remember hearing any rumour about Theo liking him.

When he finally gave up on trying to think, he made his way back into the hotel quietly, heading back to the hotel room and letting himself in. He still had his mothers' phone, but she would have David's, and Liam didn't have Theo watched him, so he figured he should at least have a phone to call for help (or even use as a weapon) if he needed to.

Theo was already in the apartment when he got back. He'd showered, changed and had both their bags packed up and sitting neatly by the door. They were supposed to leave really any minute now, and Liam couldn't bring himself to even really want to talk to Theo at this point.

Still, he had to ask.

"Mason says you had a crush on me in high school. That it was common knowledge."

Theo scoffed, and the look on his face reminded Liam of when they had first met. Liam had thought he was such a douchebag. Maybe he was right the first time around.

Still, he wasn't meeting Liam's eyes.

"Is that it...? That you liked me and I didn't... pay attention to you or something? Because I didn't even know." Liam hazarded, wishing he was more sensitive about these things than he actually was.

"Don't flatter yourself." Theo said through gritted teeth, brows raised challengingly at Liam.

Liam sighed, "Can you just tell me what the fuck is going on, Theo?" He stepped a little closer to him, trying for sensitivity, reaching a hand out for Theo's.

Theo snatched his hand back, and Liam winced, a little embarrassed. Hurt.

"Look, I don't want to do this, okay? Think about it, I'm sure you'll remember." He cleared his throat, "Yeah, I liked you in school. It was a long time ago."

"Yeah, it was a long time ago. And whatever you think I did was a long time ago, so why are you being like this? We... we got close, you kissed me this morning... that wasn't a long time ago."

Theo took a sharp breath, and for a split second his eyes -- stormy grey today -- flickered down to Liam's lips, but then he turned away, busying himself with the already packed bags, making sure the zippers were all the way up. "That was a mistake. This is a job and you're a client. I'm sorry if I led you on."

Liam forced his lips into a tight line, worried that he might cry. "Okay." He nodded, "Noted." This afternoon, he'd have his friends back, his band. He didn't have to spent all his time alone with Theo. He would be fine. Whatever this was, he just had to stop it.

He wanted to hate Theo, he really did. The asshole deserved it. He'd done nothing but jerk Liam around this entire time, and Liam still couldn't get any real read on him. Some moments felt so real. In the alley behind the hotel. Laying in bed talking. Curling up in Theo's arms. But then life would settle and he'd turn back into this. Unpredictable and dismissive.

Liam picked his bag up and walked out the door, heading down towards the maintenance exit where the car would be picking them up.

They did the trip in absolute silence. Jenna and David tried to get them talking for a while, but neither Theo nor Liam bit, so they eventually gave up. Liam stared out the window at the passing buildings, wondering if his life would be better or easier if he'd just stayed in Beacon Hills, just stayed that angry kid no one knew the name of or cared about. He'd lose his money, lose his career, lose his passion. But he'd also gain back his privacy. His freedom. His sanity. His safety.

When they pulled up at the front of the house, Liam knew he was meant to be happy about it. It was exorbitant, expensive, nice. Big enough to fit an army, which he supposed it was at the moment. Anyone in Liam or the film's inner circle was basically being housed, with the exception of the managers and extra staff. But his band, his costars, his best friend, the bodyguards... they'd all be here.

He should be excited.

He wasn't.

He took a deep breath and made his way up towards the house, not acknowledging Theo as he did. His parents were coming with him to look, which was no great surprise.

When he entered the house, the first thing he saw was... big. It was big. And very beige. He supposed they were going for modern, but it struck Liam as a mausoleum.

He felt like he was going to die in this house.

Immediately, he heard footsteps on the fancy floorboards and a moment later he was nearly knocked off his feet by Mason, who pulled him into a tight hug.

"Have I ever thanked you for being famous and talented because, holy shit, this house is incredible." He grinned, all excitement. Evidently, he also knew Liam hadn't been seriously angry when he'd hung up on him early.

Mason took his hand and led him further into the house, Liam instinctively dropping his bag as he went. He could hear Theo's near-silent steps behind him, keeping an eye on him.

He got into the lounge room, an obscenely big space with huge, comfortable looking couches and a tv too big to even seem real to Liam. He should be grateful, but he hated it. It was a prison. A fancy, expensive one, but a prison nonetheless. A sign of how far he had come from being the person he wanted to be. From being safe.

Hayden and Corey were sitting on the couches, Hayden with her knees against her chest and Corey stretched out, talking about something Liam didn't catch. He could see Scott and Erica in the kitchen, also engaged in conversation.

But then he heard a bustling down the stairs and before he had any time to catch on to what was going on, Brett was in front of him, leaning down to plant a kiss right on his lips, before leaning back with a cocky and amused grin on his face. "If it isn't our fearless leader returned from the dead!" He announced, his voice a little too loud and excited.

Liam blinked in surprise, but couldn't keep the laugh from escaping his lips. This was, funnily enough, what he liked about Brett. He had no damn shame.

People were laughing, because really, this was just his nature. Anyone who knew Brett and Liam as friends (or whatever they were) was used to the way their dynamic was. Brett wasn't one bit like Theo, really. He wasn't somber or guarded. He was all wit and commentary, saying whatever crossed his mind.

Brett immediately rounded on Theo, brows raised. "Well, hello. The supposed boyfriend." He turned to Liam, "There's no way you're dating. Just for the record."

Liam's brows raised, a laugh slipping through his lips. He had barely spared a glance at Theo, but he saw him now. Arms folded, jaw clenched.

If Theo wouldn't take the bait, Liam would. "Why no way?" He asked, curious.

"Well, your friend here," He gestured to Theo, "While hot, looks like he has a stick up his ass all the time. We both know that's not your type." He threw a wink in Liam's direction.

Liam was weirdly glad for Brett's overbearing boldness at this point, because it served Theo right. The bodyguard couldn't seem to decide if he liked Liam or not, and Liam was tired of waiting for him to shit or get off the pot. Let him see Liam had other options. What did Liam care?

"Great," He heard Theo mutter as Brett wrapped an arm around his shoulder and led him off towards the stairs.

"Let me show you the place, Matt and Alli are upstairs in our new music space."

Liam happily followed after, watching from the corner of his eye as Theo made his way over to Mason, who was clearly concealing a smirk. Theo's brows were raised, as if trying to silently ask what the fuck had just happened.

He followed Brett around, looking at each of the rooms. They were, unsurprisingly, huge. Each room was fully decked out with everything they might need, and Liam's few belongings from his apartment had been transplanted into a room here. The room had several locks on the door and its own bathroom. Brett told him with casual flirtation about how his own room was just down the hallway, before leading Liam off to see more.
It was like being in a fucking hotel.

By the time they got to the music room, the others were already there. There were couches lining one wall, all the band equipment set up down the other end. The room was proper soundproofed, but the couches were occupied by Theo, Mason, Corey, Hayden, Scott, Erica and Boyd. Matt and Allison were down the other end, talking over the top of the drum kit.

Liam walked over to the band, and both Matt and Allison made their way over to Liam, grinning and hugging him in greeting.

"Been a billion years," Matt told him, clapping him on the shoulder. "Too busy for us these days," He joked.

The band had existed since Liam had barely been anyone, but Liam had been the busy one for a long time. He'd been even less present this year than usual.

"Sorry to hear about all the weird shit going on." Allison added with a little smile, having picked her guitar up and put it over her shoulders.

Their rehearsal went off mostly without a hitch. They had to dust off the cobwebs, since it had been a while, but mostly they sounded fine. Liam had done a bit of warming up in the morning already, and the songs they were doing on the show were both a mix of him and Allison singing, which meant it was easier for them both too.

Every time they ran through, everyone clapped at the end, feigning a crazy crowd. Liam decided he liked Boyd and Erica, despite not really knowing them, when they did a choreographed faint after one of their better run throughs.

The only person who seemed not to be enjoying himself was Theo, and Liam figured that was his problem. He wasn't visibly any worse off than he usually was. He watched with the same constipated expression he usually had when he wasn't being an occasionally nice person in private. Still, Liam could see it.

He could see the way Theo's jaw would tighten and tick after Liam and Brett would crowd one microphone and sing right up close to each other, meeting eyes and grinning brightly as they sung. Brett was only backup, but he and Liam did something like this at least once every song usually.

Really, it had been their band. They wrote the songs together. It started with the two of them. They had been roommates when Liam first moved out to LA and started doing auditions. Neither of them had had any money, but they'd each had a guitar and that had been enough.

Allison and Matt had both joined a little later. Allison hadn't known Matt that well, but she had brought him in because she knew him to be a good drummer. The four got along well, so they kept going. After Liam got his movie deal, it wasn't that hard for them to get a record deal too. Aside from the fact that their music was good (if Liam did say so himself), they had some name recognition too.

After their tenth or so run through the same song, Liam dramatically collapsed on the ground, complaining about how he was tired. Allison had jokingly kicked his side and he coughed as though he was winded, though he'd barely felt it.

The group decided to order pizzas for dinner, for their first night all together.

Theo had been conspicuously quiet nearly the whole day, but Liam found it within himself to not pay any mind to it, or at least, not visibly. He didn't speak to him, didn't go near him. He barely ever looked directly at him. Instead, he focused his attention on his friends and on his band.

When the pizza came, Liam sat beside Brett with his legs stretched across the far taller man's lap.

Matt got to his feet, quickly snapping a proper photo of Liam and Brett, before posting it onto the band's instagram and tagging the two of them.

"Really?" Theo asked, looking tired and annoyed.

"It's publicity." Matt answered with a shrug. "We're performing this weekend. We need to be in the public eye again."

"Liam's in the public eye enough." Theo quipped, his voice sharp, his expression unchanging.

"Wow, you're as fun as you look." Brett snarked with a scoff.

"It's not my job to be fun, it's my job to keep him safe. And more people seeing his private life is the opposite of what he needs right now."

"You're not his publicist, last I checked. You're just a bodyguard. If Scott or Lydia has a problem with me posting it, I'll consider listening." The tone of the conversation changed quickly, Matt and Theo staring daggers at each other. Everyone else was silent, tense.

Liam cleared his throat, opening his mouth to speak when Brett filled in. "So!" He changed the subject, "I was thinking, since there are so many of us, we should play Among Us. We could livestream it on twitch or instagram or something and allow fans in."

Theo took another deep sigh, "Again, opposite of protecting his private life."

It was Liam who answered this time, "Actually, this is a good idea. It allows me to keep in contact with people without giving much about myself away."

Theo didn't say anymore. Scott, Erica, Boyd and Theo went off to hang out separately, evidently not thinking it suited anyone to see staff in a game like this. That left Liam, Mason, Hayden, Corey, Brett, Matt and Allison. Seven on their own. Each game, they would allow three fans in. Whoever the first three to get into the room were, they could play with them.

A livestream was set up and the group set up around the room. They were each in sweats and pyjamas. They looked like real people. Real friends. The execs would like that -- even though it really wasn't posed. They were friends, and they had been hanging out like this.

Liam made his name 'Dumbar', a joke fans liked more than he himself did. It had been a name used to bully him in school, so Liam didn't have fond memories, but people like the self deprecating jokes, so he went on using them.

He almost always lost. He got told 'cyan sus' more times than he could count, even from his own fans, which was sort of depressing. Brett, it turned out, was weirdly good at this game, he had a knack for convincing anyone who suspected him that they were totally nuts. Matt was a good undercover imposter, almost never tipping anyone off before he won. Allison was a good crewmate. Quick and decisive. Mason never seemed to get imposter no matter how many times they played. Corey always set off sabotages, and Hayden had a habit of always self reporting. They were decidedly all better than him.

Every time Liam looked up at the live, he saw a million comments calling him cute. Some calling him dumb. People pointed out how his voice got higher when he lied or how he always locked people in the wrong rooms as imposter. It was true, Liam was bad.
Other video games? He could whip any of their asses. But Among Us? He was as good as dead the second it started.

But every single time Liam looked up, he saw at least one comment asking where Theo was. At one point, the stream glitched and froze and he was able to read a comment theorising that Liam and Theo had broken up because of Brett.

The company wanted him to be dating Hayden, yet everyone thought it was between Brett and Theo. Especially seeing as Brett was here again and Theo wasn't.

At some point, Mason went running off into another room, returning a minute later with Theo, who was looking appropriately gorgeous, which only pissed Liam off. His Henley sleeves were pushed up to elbows and his grey sweatpants hung a little too flatteringly. He skidded along the floor in socks, pulled along by Mason. His hair was messy, like he might've fallen asleep. Or... been with someone. Liam brushed that thought away. He didn't care. This wasn't his problem.

Still, Mason announced that he was exhausted and Theo was going to sub in for him, and Brett grinned like a sadistic kid that had caught a bug under a magnifying glass.

Suddenly, Liam really wanted to win. He wanted to be Imposter so he could kill Theo off. Watch his little cyan Tic Tac stab Theo's little white one in the eye. Or cut it in half or something. As long as his little stupid white Tic Tac died.
Theo glanced at Liam, caught his eye as he jumped into the room, the simple 'Theo' username only serving to annoy Liam more. Why couldn't he at least be funny? It was because he was so hot. Hot people never had to learn to be funny.

The two of them just stared each other down for a moment as Corey pressed start on the game.

When the game lit up red and showed the word 'Imposter' for Liam, he was incredibly relieved. For about two seconds. Until he noticed the little Tic Tac beside his. The little white spaceman who was his fellow Imposter. Could he kill his own Imposter mate? He wouldn't defend him if the others were sus on him anyway.

They had opened it up to let three fans in, and Liam felt wary of the one named 'LiamsGirl' instinctively.

Things like this were normal for him, he saw accounts and posts titled with things like that all the time, but after everything recently, it just... didn't sit right with him.

He and Theo were relatively quick and incisive about it. They each got a kill on one side of the game map, before calling a Reactor Meltdown on the other to let the bodies go.

They were weirdly in sync, and got a second double kill down the bottom of the map.

They won before anyone really had any time to notice what was happening, and it was Liam's first win of the night.

He glanced up, and saw a bunch of 'Thiam' comments about how perfect they were together. His eyes rolled and he made a point of shuffling closer to Hayden and further from Theo.

The next game they played had three new fans in, one conveniently named 'Thiam Love'. Liam let out a deep sigh, but continued on with the game.

Which of course meant, the following round, one of the three joined with 'Briam'. A few games later, someone joined with Layden. At one point, someone even made theirs Coriam and Liam was about at his wits end.

He told the stream that he had one game left in him, purely because he was really starting to go stir crazy, and anyway, it was nearly midnight and the following evening they had to perform live on a show.

The last fan to join was under the name 'LiamIsMine' and a shiver automatically ran down Liam's spine. It was probably nothing, he reminded himself. Probably nothing.

Still, he instinctively glanced over at Theo, who was already looking at him with concern, mouthing the question, 'Are you okay?'

Liam quickly nodded, though he wasn't, and looked back at his phone. The thing was new, had been left in a box on his bed when he got here. Theo must've told them he needed it. Liam hadn't downloaded any apps or logged into anything yet, just Among Us.

There'd be gifs of that tiny interaction the following day, he was sure.

They were only two minutes into the game when Liam stumbled upon it. Theo's tiny Tic Tac body with a little bone sticking out in Weapons. His little cyan man just stood there dramatically for a second before Liam hit report.

He glanced up at Theo. It was stupid, it was just a game. It didn't mean anything. Theo was looking back at him, the same softer, concerned look he always got when Liam was panicking.

When the meeting came up, Liam typed in a few quick things about where he'd found it, how he hadn't seen anyone else around.

Nobody else asked him much, and everyone went on talking as if nothing weird had happened. Liam supposed nothing weird had happened. Theo had died. It was Among Us. That kind of thing happened.

They mostly all skipped and kept playing.

Corey's little yellow body was found next, and Hayden's purple and Matt's red were already dead too.

It was just a game, Liam reminded himself. This wasn't real. This person probably wasn't even the stalker. It was probably nothing. It was probably fine.

But when Liam found himself locked in a room with pink, or LiamIsMine, and they didn't kill him, he could feel the chills running up his spine.

The Imposter won, partly because Liam couldn't find it in himself to play properly, his fear overwhelming him.

Was this what it had come to? Liam not being able to play Among Us without panicking? Without getting overwhelmed.

As soon as the game ended, Liam got up and darted out of the frame. Corey and Hayden bickered, surely giving engaging content without him, and a moment later, both Brett and Theo followed Liam.

Theo hung back, allowing Brett to get to Liam first. "Hey." He said quickly. Brett wasn't one for softness, but it was obvious he was trying. They'd been friends forever after all. He pulled Liam into a hug and Liam forgot how small he always felt when Brett hugged him. He supposed he was small.

He breathed out a sigh in Brett's arms, keeping his eyes squeezed tight shut. When Brett pulled back, Theo was gone, and Liam didn't question that.

A few minutes later, he wandered off back to his room, stripping down into his boxers and getting into the huge bed. The room was big. It was simple and weirdly white and Liam tried to remind himself he was safe here. He was in a house with all the people he loved. This wasn't Among Us. No Imposter was coming for him in the dead of night.

When he heard a knock on the door, Liam glanced up, "Come in." He called.

Theo's head poked into the room tentatively and Liam's brows raised. "Can I help you?" He asked curtly, annoyed.

Theo had changed too. He wore boxers and a t-shirt. It was too big for him, looked like he'd probably had it forever. His hair was still all messed up, and Liam couldn't help but note that he looked weirdly... soft. Liam thought he liked him better than this than when he was Business Theo. He was beautiful, no doubt about it in Liam's mind. Beautiful and unpredictable. Liam wouldn't play this game anymore.

Still, he looked more like the sweeter version of him. The one he had seen glimpses of.

"Uh... I just wanted to check on you," He was unusually quiet. Almost sheepish. Liam wondered if he was regretting the stupid way he'd acted earlier. "You seemed really off during Among Us and I... was worried."

Liam huffed out a breath, "You're not my therapist. It's not your job to worry about my mental wellbeing. It's your job to make sure no one physically attacks me."

Theo pressed his lips together and nodded. Liam could swear that face was a face of 'I deserved that'. He hoped it was-- because he did. "Okay." He nodded, "Well, if you need me, I'm the room right next to yours." Liam knew that-- though the room wasn't actually that close. They were big rooms, so though Theo's was next, it was a ways off. Brett's was the one past his, which he had made a point of showing Liam earlier. Theo would likely know if he or Brett migrated to each others' rooms in the night, and Liam was sort of glad in a petty way.

Liam nodded, "Thanks."

Theo thought for a moment, before adding, "I got another text."

Liam sighed, nodding, "Saying what?"

"I'll Kill You The Same Way. He's Mine." Theo read out, eyes wary. "This doesn't mean anything, though. Anyone in the world could've watched that stream."

Liam was sure that would make him feel sick later. He was sure it would make him want to cry. But he was too tired, too hurt, too overwhelmed from the day. From the past week in general. "Thanks for letting me know. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Theo nodded once and left, closing the door gently behind him.

Chapter Text

Liam lay back on the bed and then Theo was on top of him. His lips were back on Liam's in a moment and Liam's eyes fluttered closed, his hands lifting into Theo's hair, legs wrapping around his waist. His stomach turned and he kissed hungrily, pulling Theo down against him as tightly as he could.

Theo let out a moan and Liam's heart fluttered, letting his hands run down the defined muscles of Theo's back.

"I love you," Liam heard Theo mutter the words as his lips moved to Liam's neck, and Liam tipped his head back, basically gasping for breath in the heated moment.

Theo's hands were everywhere and Liam found himself thinking that maybe it was always going to be this, that maybe they were always meant to come together this way, thinking of how he'd wanted Theo from day one, thinking of how good it felt to be pressed together like this, how good Theo was at this, how he just wanted to be closer.

He began pulling at the hem of Theo's shirt, trying desperately and clumsily to get it up over his head. Fuck the studio. Fuck all of it. This was all that mattered. He just didn't want this to end.

"I want you, Theo," Liam managed to get out breathlessly, as he tossed the shirt away, his hands coming back to run along Theo's shoulders, to take in the beauty of it all.

"Good. Because you're mine." The words were basically a growl and Liam groaned, reaching his hands up to Theo's hair to pull his lips back to Liam's.

"I mean it." Theo said, pulling back from Liam. "You're mine... You always were. I'm your biggest fan." It was only then that Liam noticed the knife in Theo's hand, noticed the blood on his pants, on the shirt he had discarded. Liam's eyes widened in fear, suddenly realising what had happened.

Liam jerked away with a shriek, sitting up in bed, light streaming into the room and flooding his eyes with granules of dust flying through the air.

It took him a few seconds to figure out what'd just happened, that it had been a dream, that none of it was real.

By the time it became clear what had happened, his door was flung open and Theo was there, wearing only sweatpants, looking around the room quickly, trying to find whatever had hurt or scared Liam.

"Is someone here?" He asked, eyes wide, "Are you alright?"

"Just a dream," Liam managed, feeling like he couldn't get air into his lungs. "A nightmare."

It only took a minute for Mason to turn up, and another few moments for Brett and Corey to enter behind him. Apparently his shriek had woken the house, because a few people had come to check if he was alright. Grateful as he was for their concern, he couldn't shake the feeling that one of them might be the one doing this to him.

He couldn't even bring himself to look Theo in the eye, and he wasn't sure whether it was because of the sexy part of the dream or because of the terrifying part of the dream.

Either way, he wasn’t sure what to say. The room felt crowded suddenly, and though everyone there was someone he deeply cared about, he sort of wished things could be quieter again.

Theo glanced around at the others too, and Liam had the distinct feeling he wanted to get him alone to talk to him about it. That only served to sort of annoy Liam, given all that had happened in the last few days.

He sort of hated himself for dreaming of Theo, for being attracted to him at all, but really, who could blame him?

“Mase.” He held out a hand and Mason pushed past Theo, taking Liam’s hand and sitting beside him on the big bed. Liam leaned forward to hug his best friend tightly.

“What is it? Are you okay?” Mason asked in his ear and Liam just shook his head.

The others gradually left, though he could see the reluctance in Theo’s eyes. Liam was clearly panicked, and Theo probably felt the need to be there, as he had been since he started.

When Liam and Mason were finally alone, Liam took a deep breath, preparing to try to explain to his friend all that had happened.

“If we talk about this, you can’t go tell Scott and Corey and Hayden and everyone else, ok? It’s between you and me.”

“I didn’t tell them. You did. I was just with them when you told me.” Mason defended with a sheepish smile.

“Mase.”

“Yeah, fine. Pinky swear.” He said, holding his pinky out for Liam to take. Liam did, though he was still suspicious.

“I have no fucking clue what’s going on, Mason. I don’t know who it is. I don’t know who I can trust, I don’t know how the stalker knows the shit they know... I don’t know why Theo hates me. I’m so fucking lost.”

Mason’s brows were furrowed with concern and he rested a hand on Liam’s forearm comfortingly.

“I have no idea what’s happened while you’ve been gone, but you seem... way more paranoid. So... I’m assuming something happened.”

Liam wrung his hands, unable to look Mason in the eyes. “They started texting Theo. Threatening him. Referring to him as my boyfriend... They told him—“ Liam swallowed, feeling his anxiety rise even thinking about it. “They told him I looked good in the shower.”

“Fuck.” Mason ran a hand over his head. “Justified paranoia, got it.”

“And I just... I don’t know. Who would even know that except Theo? My phone was off and I... I had been sleeping in his arms and—“

“Woah, go back like, fifteen steps. What?”

“There was only one bed and I was scared and...” He trailed off, shrugging.

“Right.” He paused. “Did you and he...?”

“No! No, nothing like that. It wasn’t really anything except...” Liam blushed. “Cuddling, I guess...”

“Oh... why... didn’t you?”

Liam sighed, shaking his head, “Mase, it isn’t like that. Every time something nearly happens, he pulls away. Goes on about how it’s not professional and he’s not interested.”

Mason narrowed his eyes, “If that were true, why were you cuddling? And... didn’t you say he kissed you and then said something about not being fifteen anymore?”

Liam nodded slowly, brows furrowed, not really sure what Mason was trying to get at with this.

“So... it sounds to me like he’s trying to convince himself he doesn’t like you when he clearly does...”

Mason was looking at Liam like he was stupid, and Liam was starting to get really annoyed people acting like he was dumb.

“I’m taking him at his word, Mase. He said he’s not interested; that’s that.”

“Okay, well... was the kiss good...?”

Liam scoffed, “I don’t know, man, I barely had time to register it before he had jumped across the room and started accusing me of shit.”

"You didn't register anything?" Mason scoffed. "That's disappointing. I was really curious about him."

Liam just stared at Mason, grumpy.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just, y'know, he was weird in school and now he's hot. Of course I'm curious." He said with a dramatic shrug.

"Mason, for fuck sake. I'm having enough problems without you telling me he's hot."

Mason gave a little smile, "Okay, okay. I was only trying to lighten the mood. So that's seriously it? You think it's him?"

Liam thought about it for a moment, trying to decide whether he did really think it was Theo.
The logic behind it did seem to point to it being Theo. And god, that dream had really scared the absolute hell out him. He could still see the blood splatters on Theo, the knife. He could still feel the weight of Theo on top of him. He had a horrible fleeting thought that maybe someone actually had been on top of him, that maybe it had worked its way into his dream, but he brushed the thought off. They couldn't be here.

"I don't know." He began with a sigh, "Part of me thinks it has to be. Who else would know when I was in the shower? And the only person benefitting from all this shit... would be him. I mean, if it was him. If it's not, he is not benefitting at all and is just stuck babysitting my annoying ass forever." He sighed, "I don't know which thought is worse, actually." He was trying to joke, but he still felt scared. "But no... no, probably not. I'm just scared. I can't trust anyone, Mase."

"Well, you're talking to me, aren't you?"

"Well... yeah." Liam agreed slowly, "But you're... my best friend. I've known you since I was like, four. If I was going to talk to anyone about this, it would be you."

"I don't know. I mean your options are... run away into the mountains, cease all human contact and let the world forget Liam Dunbar exists or... just keep living and try your best to stay safe and... don't let your guard down too much, I guess. Theo's your employee. You don't have to be close. If all this shit is making you uncomfortable, you're always well within your rights to step back from him. You don't owe him anything except a paycheck."

Liam nodded slowly. "And what? Just treat all my best friends like suspects?" Liam asked, skeptically.

"Absolutely. Even me, if you need to. Distrust us, keep an eye out, watch if anyone acts weird with you or even with Theo, since most people think there's something going on. Watch and see who's weird about everything."

"Okay." Liam agreed quietly. "Did anyone act weird while I was gone?"

"Not that I noticed." Mason admitted, "I mean, I guess Hayden wanted to know all about you and Theo. And Brett, Matt and Allison were super anxious for you to get back. But... no, nothing too weird."

Liam didn't speak again, just making a mental note. He had decided he was going to write a list. He was going to write reasons for or against it being people he knew, specific people. It could still be a fan, he supposed, but his paranoia was getting too high. He couldn't trust anyone.

After a moment, Mason spoke again. "So... are you going to tell me what the nightmare was about?"

Liam sighed, already feeling his cheeks burning up. "Theo and I were hooking up and then he pulled a knife on me." He spoke as quickly as he possibly could, the words spilling out in one long queue of sounds.

Mason's brows raised and a smirk pulled at his cheeks. "Right. I'm sure you didn't register anything at all about kissing Theo then. No unresolved emotions there at all."

*

"Everybody give it up, that was Mountain Ash! Don't forget to download their third album which is out on all streaming platforms now and watch Liam's new movie 'Spiderman', which has just come out on DVD and Netflix!" The interviewer, Bobby Finstock, called out as they took a final bow. Liam had already done his interview segment, and they had gotten through the performance fine. He and Brett had played off each other like they always did. He was sure people would eat up the eye contact and shared microphones.

Liam gave another wave and a bow, smiled and caught an air kiss a fan blew at him, throwing one back.

He moved off stage and as soon as he was far enough away from the fans and the spotlights, he started pulling the mic off his vest.

The outfit was fine, he supposed, it fit his general public image. Dress pants, a white dress shirt and a black vest. The dress shirt sleeves were pushed up to his elbows and the top few buttons of the shirt were undone. They let his hair be a little more wild than usual, let him have a little stubble. They were trying to make him look like a rockstar, Liam thought, and he didn't mind it, but he just wanted to be at home in pyjamas, free of all this bullshit again.

He undid the buttons and tried to feel more like himself again, not just a puppet on a stage.

Theo had once told him that his persona was fake. That he was fake and that saying he cared about fans was disingenuous. Back then, Liam thought Theo was just an asshole. He thought he was wrong, because Liam loved his fans and he wasn't trying to be fake or inauthentic at all.

But now, he felt fake. It all felt fake. Standing out there singing and grinning and pretending to be happy felt fake, because Liam was fucking miserable. He was sick of feeling like a rat trapped in a cage, sick of feeling like at any moment, the trap would go off and it would all be over. Sick of feeling like the whole world was entitled to him just because of what he did for a living.

He had always been grateful, but right at that moment, Liam wished he could go back in time and never have auditioned at all.

He startled when he felt an arm wrap heavily around his shoulder, and glanced up to see Brett walking beside him.

If they were trying to make Liam look like a rockstar, Brett fit the bill naturally. They barely had to change a thing about him. His easygoing, clever, snarky attitude never wavered, and Liam wasn't sure he'd ever seen the man with a negative emotion, besides maybe condescension from time to time.

It radiated out of him like sunshine, and Liam thought there was something magnetic about the taller boy.

Brett wasn't someone Liam would go crying to, or try to have hard discussions with, but he was consistent and solid and Liam needed that right now.

"So, Liam, my dear boy," The sass dripped off him in buckets, and Liam couldn't help but smile, "I think it's time for you to say... fuck all of this bullshit, and go out drinking."

Liam's brows raised in surprise, and he didn't say anything.

"Come on. Come to a club with me, little pup. Like old times. We'll get in through a backdoor and it's dark in there, no one will even notice it's you."

Liam was suddenly reminded of Theo calling him Pup, drying his hair off with a towel after Liam's panic attack in the bathroom. He tried hard to shake the thought free.

"Uh... yeah, sure. But if anyone makes me there, we leave. Promise?"

"Oh, little Liam. When have I ever led you astray?" Brett smirked.

"Uh... constantly?" Liam accused, but he was grinning, so it lacked any real anger.

*

"No."

"I wasn't asking."

"I don't care. No."

“Theo, let me make this very clear to you. I am going clubbing with Brett. Matt and Alli are coming too. You can come guard me if you want to, or you can go home with the others. But I am going. And since I’m your employer, you have no actual authority to tell me not to.”

The two men stared each other down, and Liam thought Theo might yell at him. Or kiss him again, he never could tell anymore.

“You’re an idiot.” Theo managed, shaking his head. There was no real intention to the insult, and Liam thought Theo seemed genuinely concerned, but that didn’t make him any less pissed.

“And you’re inconsistent.” Liam shot back, blue eyes still fixed on Theo.

Theo sighed sharply, “I’m a person, Liam. Not a robot with no feelings. I’m sorry if I’ve been inconsistent but—“

“You’ve done this before already. I don’t care anymore. I don’t care if you like me or hate me, I’m sick of trying to figure you out.” He took another breath, shaking his head. “Are you coming or not?”

“I’m coming.” Theo answered, and Liam couldn’t read his tone or face. He was reminded of the guarded, douchey Theo he’d met in the first instance.

“Good.” Liam answered flatly and took off walking towards where he had left his band in the car.

A short car trip later, the group stepped out into an alley before being led in through the back of the club.

Liam had been here before, he was positive, but he couldn’t remember the name. He only knew he and Brett hadn’t been able to get into it when they’d first lived here, before they were anyone. Now the place let them in the back to protect their privacy.

Times had changed.

Brett took Liam’s hand as they went in and led him straight towards the bar, where they huddled and Brett ordered six shots. Since none of the rest of their party had joined them, Liam could only assume Brett meant for him to take three.

So be it.

Laughing and cheering as they did, Liam and Brett downed all three in a row each. He had basically forgotten about Theo, about his other friends at all, by the time Brett was leading him to the dance floor.

Three shots and at least two other drinks in and the room was pleasantly unstable, Liam’s arms up in the air, singing aggressively along to the familiar song.

He had always been kind of a messy drunk. A clueless fairy, wandering off alone unless someone distracted him. Brett had always been good for that, he had a tendency to hold onto Liam so he couldn’t run away and get lost, and Liam was perfectly fine with that.

The taller bass player held onto his hips, making sure Liam didn’t wander off into the ether, never to be seen again.

Brett was stable. He was stable and reliable and familiar and so, when Brett began kissing him, Liam happily let himself fall into the same routine, the same pattern. He and Brett were never possessive over each other, but they had always had a tendency towards this. Whenever they were together, they seemed to drift together. Magnets.

Before he knew it, he was pressed up against a sticky club wall, arms around Brett’s neck, Brett bending down slightly to keep their lips connected. Familiar and comforting. Like nothing had ever changed. Like his entire life hadn’t crashed down around him, left a schism for Liam to fall into and never be seen again.

Hooking up with Brett reminded him of when he felt safe and content, before all this emotional trauma and uncertainty. It was an age old tradition for them.

Liam felt a camera flash on his face, and he was awoken from his bubble of voluntary ignorance. He didn’t see who took the photo, but it didn’t matter. He and Brett both flew into action, immediately booking ass out of the club and back out into that alleyway.

He was barely outside, cold night air slapping him in the face, when Brett had him crowded up against the brick wall of the club, kissing him again.

Liam happily let it happen, feeling comfort in the familiarity and consistency of it all.
The world would keep changing, and shit would keep getting more and more scary, but Brett would always be Brett, and he and Liam would always be he and Liam. Whatever the fuck that actually was.

“You sure your boyfriend doesn’t mind?” Brett muttered against his lips and Liam was momentarily lost.

“My boyfriend?” He asked, confused, but still trying to close the gap and return to the kiss again.

“You know, the guy with the stick up his ass. Does he mind?”

Liam frowned, now fully distracted from what they had been doing a moment before. “You said there was no way we were dating. You were like the only person who knew off the bat that we weren’t together.”

The walls were still spinning lightly, but Liam was trying his best to hold onto this serious moment.

“I know you’re not, actually. But I can also see you’re into him. So... what gives?”

“There’s nothing there.” Liam said quickly, “He’s made that plain.”

“Well... his loss is my gain. Let’s get the fuck out of here, Dunbar.” He grinned, pulling Liam by the hand, who followed obediently.

*

It was hours later when Liam ended up in his room. He'd happily been led around in the dark by Brett, making reckless choices he never normally would if not with his bandmate, finding many blank hours in his memory, falling into their usual routine of getting drunk and hooking up and then going on as friends like it never happened, until it did again.

When he fell back on his bed, the room spun violently around his head, and Liam just smiled happily at the feeling. It was weirdly comforting. Now the world seemed as out of control physically as it had been to him emotionally for the past few weeks.

He heard the banging on the door and he glanced towards it, though that only made the room spin more violently around him. He suddenly felt like he might fall out of the bed.

"Liam, I swear to god, if I come in there and you're not fully fucking clothed and in bed!" He could hear Theo shouting. Theo was the only person with keys to Liam's room, but it didn't matter, because Liam had been too out of it to remember to lock the door regardless.

Then Theo was in his room, and he looked livid, and Liam could only laugh about it.

Maybe he would've responded differently if not for the alcohol, but he couldn't.

"What the fuck were you thinking, Liam?" He asked, radiating anger and disapproval. Liam felt his own anger flare in response, but instead of yelling back, he began to laugh again.

"Why do you care?" He managed, though his words were somewhat intercepted by his hiccuping.

“Liam, it is quite literally my job to keep you safe. You are paying me to babysit you. Running off into the night with your boyfriend or whatever and leaving me behind with no idea if you’re even alive is not okay.”

Theo’s jaw was locked and he was staring at Liam with pure anger. Liam wanted to yell back, to defend himself in some way, but he just laughed instead. The whole thing was so ridiculous.

“We went to school together,” He giggled. “And now you’re babysitting me.”

Theo still looked furious, but he seemed to realise something. Probably that Liam wasn’t keeping up with his tirade.

“Yep. And you’re ditching me in seedy nightclubs to run off with your bandmate even though it’s my job to protect you.” He responded, eyes narrowed.

“Five years ago, I was a kid playing lacrosse so I didn’t freak out and hit people and now I need a babysitter, like, all the time.” He giggled out again. “Because someone wants to like, wear my skin or marry me in a basement or something.”

“Yes, Liam, people find you very appealing.” Theo’s voice changed, like he was talking to a child. He moved to sit beside Liam on the bed. Liam couldn’t read his expression anymore. “But you can’t do shit like that or someone actually will hurt you.”

“I should be allowed to drink in a club.” He grumbled, sounding like a child. He could hear it, but he couldn’t stop it. He wanted to grumble. It wasn’t fair.

“Yeah, you should. But you can’t. Not like that. Nobody wants to see you get hurt.” Theo told him, softer now, like Liam was fragile. Maybe Liam was fragile.

“You do.” He pouted. “You hate me.”

Theo rolled his eyes, but it was almost affectionate. “I don’t hate you, Li.”

“I don’t even remember you from high school,” He groaned, flopping back onto the bed again. “I don’t know what I did.”

Theo’s expression tightened, his brows pinched. “Liam...”

“What did I do, Theo?”

“We can talk about this later, little wrecking ball.” Theo told him, gently pushing him back, as if trying to suggest he lay down.

Liam fell back, but bounced back up a moment later. “Why am I a wrecking ball?”

“Do you even remember tonight?”

Liam blinked, trying hard to think of anything after the club. Brett had asked him about Theo... then that was it. Liam had gone along with him. He didn’t remember what he drank or where he went.

“Um... Brett and I were at the club...” He fumbled over his words, realising he didn’t actually know.

“Right. And you and he? Are you positive it’s not him? Are you positive you were safe with him?”

Liam’s eyes fluttered, and he could feel tears forming.

He was starting to feel more grounded, but still influenced by it. Emotional and exhausted and afraid all over again.

“I’m sorry, Liam, I’m not trying to scare you, it’s just... you can’t do shit like this.” He rested a hand on Liam’s. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Liam brought his knees up against his chest, wrapping his arms around them. “It’s not fair, Theo.”

“I know.” He said slowly.

“Do I have to be scared of everyone till I die?”

“That’s probably not a bad principle in general— people are unpredictable and awful.”
Liam just glared at him.

“Sorry. I just mean... yeah. You are going to have to keep your wits about you. People... feel differently about you than the average person and there are a lot of weirdos out there.” He paused. “This person... I’ll keep them away from you. But... but yeah, you will have to be cautious forever.”

Liam frowned. “But you won’t be around to protect me forever.” He grumbled.

There was something sad about Theo’s expression, but Liam couldn’t place it. “I’ll be here as long as you want me to be, Li. You can be my only client.” He tried to joke.

Liam dropped his head into his knees, hating the feeling of wet staining his cheeks. He felt weak and ungrateful and clingy and he hated it. Stupid. How did he not remember what happened? He hadn’t drunk that much.

He felt an arm around him and Liam turned into Theo’s embrace, hiding his face in the crook of Theo’s neck. Theo shivered, but Liam didn’t move. He couldn’t stop crying, and he hated the idea of anyone seeing him cry.

When his sobs finally ebbed, he managed a soft “Will you stay with me?”

Theo nodded, looking concerned and tired.

Liam was still fully dressed, and so was Theo, so Theo had to help Liam pull his pants off, since Liam stumbled whenever he tried to stand. Theo was careful, Liam could see it. Careful with how he looked at him — or rather didn’t look at him. Liam tried to pull his shirt up over his head, but got stuck and nearly strangled himself, so Theo had to help him out of that too.

Liam didn’t bother to try to get pyjamas on, he simply collapsed back into the huge bed and curled one arm under his pillow.

Theo seemed awkward, but he did the same in quickly stripping off and getting back into the bed, relocking the door on the way.

Liam tried to show the same restraint in not watching, but it was hard. Theo looked beautiful, and Liam was still too inebriated to try to convince himself he didn’t want him. He watched with tired eyes as Theo got into the bed beside him, waiting a moment for Theo to get comfortable before he curled up into him, as if he had done so a thousand times before.

He rested his head on Theo’s chest, and mumbled in a soft voice. “I don’t remember tonight, Theo. After the bar.”

Theo let out a huff of a sigh. “I know. And I’m still mad at you. I’ll just be mad at you when you’re sober.”

“You don’t have to be mad at me.” He mumbled, “You could just forgive me and hug me instead.”

“Yes, you’re very cute when you pout like that, Pup, but no. I’m still mad at you.”

“Do you think something happened tonight?” Liam’s voice was hardly a whisper.

Theo sighed deeply. “I don’t know, Li, honestly. I wish I had been there to make sure. But... you trust Brett, right? I mean you went off with him.”

Liam thought about it. He thought about the years of friendship. About times being roommates. About all the band practices and the millions of nights they'd spent hanging out drunk or doing dumb shit together. All the hours spent writing songs.

"I... think so."

"You don't sound sure?"

"I'm not sure of anyone anymore." Liam said softly, "I'm not even sure about myself. I feel like I'm going nuts."

He took a sharp breath, "Okay. I'll talk to him tomorrow. Find out what happened. In the mean time, we have no reason to assume anything bad happened, so don't assume that, okay?"

Liam nodded slowly and Theo squeezed his shoulder, as if to reassure him. "If you disappear like that again, I'll kill you myself."

"Is saying stuff like this normal protocol?" Liam asked.

Theo snorted and shook his head, "No. But what about us is?"

It was a valid point, and maybe Liam would have been annoyed if he were sober. But Theo was right, it was Liam who had done the shitty and stupid thing tonight. He probably thought Liam was in serious danger. Liam didn't even know what he was doing. He couldn't even remember getting back to this house. Couldn't remember how he got to his room. Couldn't remember where Brett was right now.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"Yes." Theo grumbled. "Because you are. You're a very talented, very nice idiot. But yes. You're an idiot."

"Are you still mad at me?" Liam couldn't keep the pout off his face.

"Yes. Go to sleep."

Liam sat up a bit, pushing off Theo's chest to do so, looking down at him. "What can I do to make you stop being mad at me?"

"You can't. Go to sleep."

Liam continued to pout at him, and Theo looked like he might knock him out to make him shut up at some point in the near future.

"But Theo, I was drunk and I was just-- I was just trying to avoid the camera and I-- I didn't even see who took the photo and--"

"Photo?" Theo asked.

"Someone... someone took a photo of Brett and I... of-- of me pressed up against--"

"Right. I get it."

He cut Liam off and Liam just looked at him, puppy eyes wide and concerned, obviously worried Theo genuinely hated him now.

"Look, you... you can do whatever you want with whoever you want, that's-- that's not my business. I tried to give the two of you... some privacy," His jaw ticked, "I didn't really want to watch, but I didn't think you were going to run and..." He sighed again, and his greyish green eyes found Liam's face. They looked sort of like a lake today. Water over a waterfall, tinted a cloudy green. "Look, Liam, you don't get it. I would never forgive myself if something bad happened to you."

*

Liam felt like death.

His head swam and felt so heavy it might topple him over. His mouth felt dry and painful and he wasn't sure how he'd managed to get through the night without being sick.

Still, he couldn't figure out how he'd blacked out on his three shots and two other drinks. He'd had more than that before and never lost time. Part of him had the horrible sinking thought that maybe... there'd been something else in one of the drinks.

The thing was, he couldn't shake the thought that that didn't help him sort anything out. Brett hadn't made the drinks, just brought them to Liam. It was entirely possible it could've been him, but also entirely possible he had nothing at all to do with it. It was even possible that it wasn't the drinks at all. That Liam was affected negatively for some other reason. That he was becoming a lightweight...

More than anything, like always, Liam felt like he was going mad. He felt guilty any time he considered that it might be one of his friends, but what else could he do?

Theo was already gone when he woke up, and Liam just pulled on an oversized sweatshirt and sweats, before trudging out into the house for food and water. All he could hope was that no one else was going to be too loud.

When he got downstairs, the rest of the group were gathered around the kitchen and living room, in various group formations of discussions. Theo looked totally fine, composed and dressed as he usually was. Brett as well. It made Liam wonder how he was the only one totally unaffected. Theo hadn't been drinking, but he had been up all hours. Brett, Matt and Allison had all been there drinking too.

He walked directly into the kitchen, people clearing to give him room. He didn't speak to anyone, simply prepared a quiet hangover cure and got some toast ready.
It was Brett who joined him first.

"So." He began, all grins. "I saw Theo coming out of your room this morning. Someone had a, uh... busy night." He emphasised the word with a wink. There was no anger or judgement or criticism in his tone. It was sheer amusement. It was so in character for the Brett he'd known, so easygoing and normal, that it made Liam feel bad for doubting him. Which then made Liam wonder if he was being stupid again.

"Not what you think," Liam grumbled, his voice coming out hoarse.

He felt suddenly dizzy and leaned down against the kitchen bench, taking an overly generous bite of his toast.

"Hey, you know I don't care about that stuff." Brett waved it off.

"Yeah, I know you don't, but that's not what happened." Liam repeated, grumpier than usual.

"Are you okay?" Brett asked, eyes narrowing, apparently realising Liam was not in the mood for joking around.

Liam took a deep sigh. He wasn't. Drunk adventures with Brett were far easier when he wasn't riddled with paranoia and fear. When he wasn't wondering if someone he loved and trusted was trying to hurt him. Or trying to... whatever the hell the stalker was trying to do to him. He couldn't remember and that unsettled him. Brett was far better off than he was.

What did that mean? Was he given something different? Was Brett pretending? Was he just acting like this for the sake of the innuendo about Theo?

"What happened last night?" Liam asked, eyes wide.

Brett blinked, "You don't remember?"

Liam shook his head. Brett sighed and then began to recite what happened as if it were some list he'd memorised. "Um... nothing out of the ordinary. We club hopped, hooked up in some bathroom, got an uber home. You were super out of it so I put you in your room and went to bed. That's it."

"Did... anyone take photos of us? Anyone see anything?"

Brett shook his head, "I really don't think anyone took any notice of us after that first photo in the club. Didn't even see anyone looking our way."

Liam nodded slowly, though he wasn't sure he really felt any better and Brett seemed to take Liam's pointed silence as a hint.

"Well... hope you feel okay, man." He took his leave, leaving Liam alone leaning on the table, half heartedly making his way through his dry toast, wondering if he would be able to sleep again.

When Theo joined him, he seemed nervous, and Liam could already feel the stern talking to coming on.

"Listen, I know you're mad at me, but I really don't have the energy to--"

"Shut up for a second. Come with me."

Liam was caught off guard by Theo's sudden and harsh words. Change of demeanour. He blinked at him in surprise.

"Look, I'm sorry, just..." He took another deep breath, before he just grabbed Liam's wrist and pulled him off into another room.

Liam found himself in the music room, Theo closing and locking the door behind them. Liam had no idea what was going on, but his heart was racing, momentarily terrified but with no idea of exactly why or what he thought was going to happen.

"Look, I... Don't want to do this, because I don't think it's going to make you feel any better, but I also know you have every right to see it. I've already notified the police and they're tracking the number and checking out the clubs, but... chances are they won't be able to do much with this. You still deserve to know." He took a deep breath and handed Liam his phone. It was a text conversation, and Liam saw the two photos before anything else. One was the photo from the club. Liam crowded up against the wall by Brett, visibly himself, visibly making out with Brett. It was bad. Not the worst thing that could've happened, but bad. The other was far worse. Liam and Brett in a bathroom Liam didn't recognise, in a far more compromising position than the first photo. Liam felt like his heart stopped. He felt like his throat closed up. Like he couldn't breath or think or move. Underneath the two photos was the caption, 'He'll Never Be Yours.'

Chapter Text

Liam held out his arms and Hayden jumped into them. He could hear her heavy, terrified breathing in his ear and he knew his own matched. His eyes were squeezed tight shut as he held her body weight up off the ground, arms like vices around her.

“I thought I lost you,” Hayden whispered.

Liam’s eyes opened, tearful and overwhelmed, staring straight ahead, trying to shake a horrible thought from his mind.

“I didn’t think I was coming back either,” He mumbled. They pulled back and stared at each other.

Then Hayden was moving forward, swallowing hard, and he met her halfway. The kiss was desperate and passionate, like they weren’t sure they were ever going to see each other again. Like they weren’t sure if they were running out of time. If they were already on borrowed time.

“Cut!”

Liam and Hayden pulled back, and both burst out into giggles. There was nothing romantic about something so choreographed, but the two of them always managed to find a joke in it all. Sometimes they would whisper incorrect things into each others’ ears when they weren’t the one being filmed. Sometimes they would make faces at each other. Sometimes they would hold their breath while they kissed to see how long they could do it.

Directors sometimes got mad at them, but Stiles was unlikely to get really angry with them. Mostly, their director liked that they got along so well. He talked about how they were beloved as much for their characters as for their real life personalities and how gag reels were an important part of modern success.

Even when Stiles yelled at them, there was no real weight in it. Like any set, Liam wound up just as close to the crew as he was to the cast. He saw them far less, it was true, but he still had members of the crew that were his close friends.

Nolan, Corey’s stunt double, who hung around even when he didn’t have to and had become something between one of their close friends and the frequent butt of the joke. It was all friendly, but Nolan did have a habit of doing silly things and winding up with them laughing. Liam thought he did it on purpose, actually, it was how he had gotten in with them to begin with.

Isaac, one of their main cameramen, had gotten close to them by participating in the three of them screwing with each other somewhat. He would contribute comments, make signs at them. He would make a point to film it when one of them cracked so that they could keep the footage, so that they had it.

Malia, their stunt coordinator, was someone they all hung out with offset too. Liam thought she kinda liked to shove him around, but he wasn’t mad about it. That was their relationship. Almost like brother and sister. They rarely spoke between shoots, but during the shoots themselves, they would act like brother and sister, complete with her tackling him semi-regularly. She’d been threatened with firing for it before, but Liam had advocated for her to stay, saying he liked the way they were.

There were others too. Aiden and Ethan, the actors playing villains opposite Liam. Chris Argent, who played another of the superheroes in the franchise. Derek, also a superhero in the franchise, probably the most beloved too. He had an active twitter presence and a plethora of people in love with his dry humour.

Liam could sit around all day and list people on the production here that he cared about. He was starting to calm down, starting to remember how it had felt to be less paranoid, less panicked. To be himself.

It had been weeks since the club incident, and honestly, Liam thought people could get used to any level of emotional distress given enough time.

The first thing they’d done after Theo showed him the pictures, and after the inevitable panic attack that followed it, was go to the hospital. Liam had had to get a toxicology report, had to file a statement. Brett had been questioned.

Before, any stalker could potentially be charged with intimidation and stalking, but there wasn’t too much, legally, to go on besides a fine and a restraining order. This was different. It was a sexual offence and they thought it was very likely a drugging as well.

Theo had stayed with Liam, only Theo, because Liam hadn’t let anyone else come while they waited. Inevitably, they were told that yes, Liam had been spiked.

They told him he was lucky, that a few more drinks and he might have had something far worse happen.

They confiscated Theo’s phone as evidence. The whole house was told to change their numbers, those who had direct messages were taken. The house was searched. Everyone was fully briefed. No more secrets. No more downplaying. Everyone knew exactly how bad things had gotten for Liam.

There had been plenty of tearful hugs. Plenty of apologies for not realising how serious it was sooner. Scott and Mason had taken turns hugging him tightly and asking if he was okay. Treating him like he was made of glass. He was beginning to wonder if he was.

Hayden and Corey had been asked to keep their distance for a few days. In fact, almost everyone had. The exceptions being Theo, Scott and Mason. The only people Liam was pretty sure he could implicitly trust.

Ultimately, the search had come to nothing. Liam had more police attention, and some of it had even gone public now, some news had broken that Liam had been stalked, that he might be in danger. Still, the photos had never gone up online.

In a weird way, that was scarier. Before, it had felt like maybe this person was doing it for attention. It was weird to think of how long ago it had been that the scariest thing was them posting a photo of Liam and Mason as children. Now they were here. It wasn't for attention. No one else had seen the private photos of Liam. Someone had taken them... for themselves. And that was far more frightening to Liam.

After that, things had settled down far more. Maybe the stalker was temporarily satiated. Maybe they knew they were being watched more closely. Liam had no idea. All he knew was, it was a relief.

A little more quiet. A little less panic.

He had returned to filming, had his own trailer most days, then could return to this giant, stupid house in the off time. Theo was always there, but there was also extra set security. He was almost never alone with anyone, besides Theo, and he was fine with that.

Every possible scenario had flashed through his head. That Theo actually had followed him and had gotten those photos. That Brett had had someone take them. That Brett hadn't taken them but had drugged him. That it had been Allison or Matt, who were also there that night, but couldn't really account for their whereabouts on the evening past saying they were 'drinking and dancing'.

In the end, unable to find an answer, Liam had to accept his friends' stories and continue on. He had no other choice, and he had a movie to film.

He, Theo, Erica, Boyd, Corey and Mason travelled to and from set together day to day.
Emotionally, Liam had pulled away from nearly everyone. He still spent time with them, but he didn't really connect. He didn't try to have deep conversations.

He'd been being told from the start things would change when he had enough success. He hadn't believed it, but things had certainly changed.

Liam was a little happier, but he had also receded into a shell of himself. Become the fake person Theo thought he was, hiding all his fear and panic and suspicion and paranoia behind a shell of the old Liam, a mirror of who he had been before all of this started.

When he walked off set with Hayden at his side, the two had a giggly conversation about how long they'd managed to hold their breaths and separated to go to their respective trailers. Liam wanted to shower, and he had a few hours before they returned to filming. He would need to go through wardrobe and makeup and all the rest of it again for the night shoot, which left him with a good five hours of time to just lay around in his trailer. To read or just... be.

No doubt Theo would join him at some point, as he had taken to doing.

Liam never bothered asking him to leave anymore. Theo wouldn't do it and Liam had no conviction in asking. He was scared, and Theo was doing his job.

He probably had a little while before Theo entered. Normally he would scout around a bit first. Double check everything, make sure it was all safe, then join him in the trailer. It was plenty big enough for them both, and they had taken to barely speaking during these days.

He showered, lay down on the bed-like sofa in the trailer, and picked up a book.

It was some fluffy thing, no real drama or conflict. He had enough of that in his life. Still, he’d read the script for tonight backwards and forwards and it was better than doing nothing.

It was a half an hour or so before Theo entered silently and sat down, pulling out his (new) phone.

It took another hour of silence before Liam spoke up.

“You promised you’d tell me what happened in high school.”

“When?” Theo asked, looking tired.

“That night I got roofied.” Liam reminded, absolutely willing to use his one card to get Theo to talk. “You said you’d tell me the next day. I know... how weird it all was, but you never told me.”

He sighed, “Liam... I should never have brought that up, it was a lifetime ago and—“

“And you’re still upset about it. Come on, after everything that’s happened... Don’t I deserve the truth?”

Theo took a deep sigh and nodded slowly. “Okay, yeah. Fine. Just... don’t interrupt me till I’m done, okay?”

Liam simply nodded, sitting up, folding his legs and waiting.

Theo took a sharp breath, like he was stabilising himself before speaking. “When I was... seventeen and you were fifteen — I think — I had a crush on you. Everyone knew, including you, I think. I sort of hated everyone. Like everyone. But nearly every lacrosse game you got into some punch up and you were just so... honest with people. About who you were, about your feelings. You were like... the living embodiment of untamed energy, in the best way. After I lost my family, I didn’t have a lot... for some reason, I guess I attached myself to you.”

Liam nodded, waiting.

“When... I lost my parents, I had to drop out for a bit. I went into the system, jumped from house to house for a bit, with family friends and cops even, sometimes. When I came back, there were all these rumours. That I killed them... That I was evil or broken. I’d barely eaten in nine months and only wore ill-fitting black clothes, so... people started treating me like I was... dangerous. I didn’t have many friends before, but after... I had nothing.”

“Everyone seemed so fake to me. Everything felt so pointless. I honestly don’t know why I picked you. Maybe because you seemed as angry at the world as I was. I didn’t know shit about your home life or your condition, I just saw you as... real. This beautiful, real, unaffected thing, y’know? Like they hadn’t forced you into a box yet. Like they hadn’t beaten the spirit out of you. I was so... empty. You seemed so... full.”

“So... I decided I was going to ask you out. Or... at least try to talk to you. I put a note in your locker. It was... pathetic, really, but I was lonely and everything had gone to shit. I guess I hoped if anyone would understand, you would.” He paused, swallowing as if he was swallowing back a lump. “The next day, I saw you put a note in my locker. I watched you slip it in there and I thought... holy shit, he actually wants to talk to me. I thought maybe I would have... someone, y’know?”

“The note told me to meet you after school. At the lacrosse field. I went... and uh, the whole team was there. Not you, but them.” He half smiled, but it looked sad and angry, “They uh, beat the shit out of me. Called me names, mocked me about you, read out shit I’d said in the note. I fought back and I got suspended. Guess they didn’t really want the star player kids to get in trouble and there was no one around to advocate for me. I, uh, broke a rib, actually. Two black eyes, broken nose. The whole thing.” He cleared his throat. “You put that note in my locker. You sent them after me.”

Liam sat there, totally in shock, trying to process what he was hearing. “Theo, I...”

“Please, don’t. Really, I thought I was over this shit a long time ago. It never should’ve come up.”

“I didn’t write that note.” Liam pushed, refusing to let it sit. “I never even saw your note to me, I... I didn’t do that.”

“Who else could have, Li? Who else would’ve seen the note? Who else would’ve written it back? It looked like your handwriting, it sounded like something you’d say...? I saw you put it in my locker, Liam. I watched you do it.”

“Really, I don’t know!” He insisted with a frown, “Maybe they saw you put it in and... and broke into my locker? They all knew me pretty well, they could’ve easily... they could’ve easily mimicked what I’d say. I don’t remember putting the note in but someone must’ve asked me to. I never read that note, Theo.”

“Liam... please don’t lie to me... I understand how... how people can change and... that you were probably scared, but I saw you put that note in my locker. I saw you.”

“Then someone else wrote it and asked me to!” Liam insisted, rising to his feet in anger. “I did not do that, I never would’ve done that! I wasn’t a perfect kid, okay? I was angry and bitter and I had these horrible meltdowns and became overcome with grief! I missed too much school and had shitty grades and like, one friend in the whole world! The team bullied me too. They beat me up more than once too! Please, if you truly know me at all, know I did not do this to you. I wouldn’t have done that to anyone.”

Theo nodded slowly, but he was staring at the ground now. Six years of believing Liam set him up for that. Six years of believing Liam read his most private thoughts and then chose to hurt him with them. Six years of thinking Liam was fake. Of thinking he was a liar. Of thinking he would hurt someone on purpose.

No wonder Theo hated Liam so much when they met. He thought Liam was a horrible person.

Liam got to his knees, kneeling on the ground in front of Theo, trying to get his attention. “I am so fucking sorry, Theo. I’m so sorry. What happened was fucked up and unfair and I’m really sorry. But I won’t take the blame for it, because I didn’t do it. Maybe I should’ve read that note before I put it in your locker. I don’t remember anything about it, it was just any other day to me. But I didn’t set you up. I didn’t hurt you like that. I didn’t read your letter and reject you.”

He reached out to take Theo’s hands, just trying to get his attention. “Dorky, misfit fifteen year old Liam with acne and no social filter would’ve liked to meet skinny, sad Theo who hated the world and wrote him a letter.”

Theo leaned forward in his chair, pulling Liam into a tight hug. It was weird, Liam was used to being the one falling apart. The one Theo was holding together. This was totally different. He squeezed his arms tightly around Theo and squeezed his eyes shut. He had no idea how to help, but he was trying.

“It wasn’t you...?” Theo muttered, almost like he needed reassurance. Liam had never heard him sound like that. Fragile and emotional and clouded.

“It wasn’t me.” Liam reassured. “I was angry and shitty and raw, like you thought. I never would’ve done that to you.”

Liam could feel the damp spot on his shoulder and he knew Theo was crying, but he didn’t care, past being worried about Theo. He certainly wasn’t worried about his shirt.

He got it now. Why Theo hated him so much. Why he thought Liam was fake. Why he’d been closed off to him. He thought Liam caused one of the most traumatising moments of his life. Of course he couldn’t let Liam in.

“Why did you take this job if you hated me so much?” Liam whispered the words, his voice soft and curious.

“I wanted to... to know if you’d changed. I was broke and needed money and... and part of me really wanted to know you, even though I hated you.”

“Did I disappoint?” Liam asked into the hug, trying to joke.

“Completely. You were nowhere near the evil mastermind I wanted you to be.” Theo grumbled out through his breathy, emotional voice.

“Are you still mad at me from the other week?” He asked again, testing the waters.

“Yes,” Theo answered, a hint of a laugh in his tone. “I thought you were really hurt. It nearly killed me. You were drugged. I just... I know... I’m not trying to victim blame you, it’s just... please don’t run off on me like that again...?”

“Won’t happen again.” Liam promised, “Superhero’s honour.”

“I don’t like Brett either.” Theo added in a grumble.

Liam just raised his brows, pulling back a little from the hug to look at Theo’s face. “What did he do, kick your puppy?”

Theo stared at his face intently for a moment, as though he was deliberating, then said, “He put you in danger. I failed you too. And I... can’t forgive myself for that either. But I don’t trust him. He takes you off alone, then suddenly you’re missing a chunk of night and the only thing he admits to you is the one thing the stalker later proves... anything could’ve happened, Liam... I don’t trust him and I don’t like him being around you.”

“It was my fault though. I agreed.”

“Yep. That’s why I’m also mad at you. I’m mad at all three of us. But you’re an idiot in emotional distress. He can’t be trusted.”

Liam frowned. “Do you trust anyone in my life?”

“Frankly, no.” Theo answered flatly, “I don’t. But I have my suspects. The people I distrust most. And right at the top of that list is someone who appears to have led you blindly into danger while you were inebriated and then...” He cut himself off abruptly, staring at the ground.

“But... if it’s not them, they’re in danger too and—“

“Liam, I mean this in the nicest possible way. They are not my problem. They are not my responsibility. You are. I don’t care about them, I care about you. If they need my help, I’ll be there for them, but that doesn’t mean I’ll turn a blind eye to how the things they say and do affect you.”

“Sometimes you actually do sound really scary and professional.” Liam confessed quietly.

“Yeah, well... I’m just trying to wrap my head around the fact that I spent six years hating the wrong person.”

Liam frowned at him, “You believe me, right?”

“Yes, Li. I do. I believe you. You didn’t write the note.”

Liam half smiled.

“It’s gonna take me some time... dismantle the perception I had of you, though.”

Liam frowned, "But wait-- how did you not know...? After I told you those guys absolutely hated me, that they bullied me too? Shouldn't that have given it away."

Theo sighed, running a hand over his hair. "I considered it. But uh, like I said. I saw you put the note in the locker and honestly, part of me thought... Maybe you used me as a scapegoat. Like, if they were going after me, they'd leave you alone."

Liam hated that Theo thought he would do that to him, but he could understand how he had rationalised it in his head. Especially given that Liam was saying he remembered nothing when Theo saw him putting the note in there.

"I really wish you'd just asked me then."

"Yeah." He paused, then gave Liam a half smile, "Guess I'm an idiot too, huh?"

"Yeah, you really are." Liam half smiled, "I guess I get that you thought I had just... changed. But I still wish you could've seen how I was now and realised I wouldn't do that kind of shit."

Theo nodded slowly, "Noted. I am sorry... for assuming the worst."

"I'm sorry too," Liam said with a nod, "Just... for... any part I did play in it. Even unknowingly. Also for being generally a dipshit."

They just sort of smiled at each other for a moment, Liam still kneeling in front of where Theo sat. A beat passed and then another. Liam knew that one of them should break the eye contact. That someone should move away. That someone should do... something.

Then, all of a sudden, as if possessed by some urgent thought he'd had, Theo got to his feet, walking across the trailer to grab both his own phone, and Liam's. He switched them both fully off, and put them back on the table.

Liam watched, totally confused about what Theo was doing and why it was so urgent. He trusted Theo enough that he didn't question it, even though it was effectively cutting him off and no one really knew where he was or could get to him.

Then Theo turned around, dropped down into his knees in front of Liam and pulled him into a kiss. It took a few moments for Liam to really process what had happened, but once he did, his hands were on Theo's hips, pulling him closer, the two of them kneeling, Theo's hands on Liam's cheeks.

He had no idea how they'd gotten there, what had shifted in Theo's mind to bring them to this point, but he sure as hell wasn't complaining. This kiss was head and shoulders above their last. Partly because Liam actually had time to process what was happening this time. Partly because Theo wasn't pulling away. He wasn't mad at Liam for something or holding him together because he was breaking down. There was no imbalance, now.

A little time had passed with none of the same paranoia or judgement, and it had allowed them to settle into something.

When Theo pulled back for air, Liam mumbled, breathless, "If you tell me that was a mistake and we have to be professional, I will murder you."

"Fuck that," Theo said, a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. His voice was husky and inviting and Liam figured he'd spent long enough trying to pretend not to want him.

"Finally," Liam said, grinning now. Theo dropped his forehead down to rest against Liam's and he couldn't shake the smile.

"There is a caveat though," Theo added after a moment, and Liam groaned, shaking his head.

"Of course there is. Tell me the caveat."

"I don't think we should tell anyone." Theo said quickly, "About this. Whatever the hell this is."

Liam blinked, spending a few seconds even coming to terms with the fact that this was something in Theo's mind. That was a surprise in and of itself. But when the shock of that had worn off, his brows raised in surprise. "Wait-- why?"

“I know the execs think it’s better if people think you’re taken... I don’t. I think the closer we’ve been to each other, the worse it’s gotten. I think the thought of me with you makes it worse. So I think we should go on pretending to hate each other...”

Liam licked his lips, “So is that confirmation that you do not, in fact, hate me?”

“Oh, shut the fuck up,” Theo grumbled sarcastically, “You know I don’t hate you. We’ve been over this.”

“Yeah, sure. But you’ve been wildly inconsistent on an ongoing basis, so...? Going over it doesn’t help me all that much.” Liam challenged, their banter having gone from hostile to flirtatious very quickly.

“Yes, well, in fairness, I thought you set me up for one of the worst days of my life and was trying to be professional about my job.”

“In fairness, you wouldn’t tell me what I did.”

“Yes, we’ve established I’m as stupid as you are.” Theo rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Okay, fine, fine. I won’t tell anyone. What this is. I don’t know what it is, so that should be easy.”

Theo reached a hand up, brushing a piece of fallen hair out of Liam’s face. “I... well, it’s not nothing.” He said the words flirtatiously, a smile on his lips.

His eyes looked green. Properly green. Liam loved being able to stare into them, loved not having to feel ashamed or embarrassed about it.

“Not even Mason?”

“Nobody.” Theo repeated, “Nobody. If someone knows without you telling them, we know they’re a suspect. Our phones were off. There’s security. It should be pretty telling.”

“Did... you freak out last time you kissed me because of professionalism or because you thought I set you up?” Liam asked, concerned eyes taking in Theo’s expression.

“... Both.” He said tentatively.

“So... professionalism?” Liam’s brows raised teasingly.

“Yeah. I’ve sort of given up on that. We both fucking suck at it.”

"Thank god," Liam said with a grin, leaning forward again to press his lips against Theo's, a little softer and less urgent this time.

*

They had had hours to spend together, and Liam was feeling better by the time he had to go back to hair and makeup. He was calmer, and he felt more like he had some control over even the tiniest part of his life. He had a clearer idea of what had happened in high school, and a clearer idea of what was going on with Theo.

The older man hovered over him, as he did, while Liam was buffed up and made ready for the shoot. It was himself, Hayden and Corey. It was a quiet scene, and not a long one, filled in with mostly dialogue and not a lot of action. Liam was prepared for it, and really, he just wanted to get it over with so he could return home.

He had meant to nap between scenes, but there had been more pressing matters -- Theo -- so he had given up on that pretty quickly.

They had done the scene several times before they were given a break for a reset. They had to hang out, couldn't change their hair or makeup or anything, but they had a little time to spend together and hang out.

Liam, Corey and Hayden sat together in their chairs, puffer jackets wrapped around them, joking and laughing.

"Did you finally nap between takes?" Corey asked him, "You look exhausted."

"I wish-- I barely even lay down. I just got distracted by other shit."

"Other shit like... Theo?" Hayden asked, wiggling her eyebrows, teasing.

Liam just sighed and shook his head. He tried to figure out what he would have said if they were still barely speaking to each other, but suddenly he couldn't remember what he would've said before.

"Please. We've barely spoken since the club incident. He just follows me around looking pissed off." Liam gestured in the direction of Theo, who was, appropriately, leaning against a wall with his arms folded, looking bored and annoyed.

"He still hasn't gotten over that...?" Corey whispered, as if it was nothing and Theo should have let it go sooner. Liam took that as a win, since they had obviously bought that explanation.

Liam shook his head, rolling his eyes as if he agreed that it was all stupid. Actually, he understood why Theo was upset about it all, given how severe it had all been. In truth, Liam was trying hard not to think about it all, trying hard not to let the panic get to him. Besides, Theo and he were on much better standing these days. But nobody seemed to know Theo had come to him that night after everything happened, nor that they were far closer than they had been.
Hayden sighed, "Do you... remember what happened that night? After you lost Theo?" Liam hadn't really talked to anyone about it all. The police had told them, and they all knew now how serious it was, but nobody had really asked Liam specific questions, perhaps sensing it was too hard for Liam to discuss.

Even Brett had given him some space since, and Liam wondered whether part of that was the danger daggers Theo shot in his direction any time he got close to Liam.

"No." Liam said slowly, licking lis lips. "Obviously I've seen the photos. So I know that much. But all I remember was taking the shots at the club and then... laying in bed later. I don't even know when I got spiked. I had food and drinks at the interview too..."

Hayden took his hand, and Liam watched a camera flash. It was some crew member, taking photos of the three. It would probably be on some website or all over twitter tomorrow.

"I'm sorry, Liam." She told him. Corey just stared down at his hands, his face pinched up.

"Do you trust him...?" Corey asked, looking like he already had his own answer to the question.

"Who?"

"Brett. I mean... the photos were of the two of you and you don't even... remember it."

Liam had questioned that himself, over and over again. The simple answer was that he had no idea. He had to believe that Brett hadn't realised how fucked up he was. They'd been friends for years. He had to believe that.

"I think so." He finally said.

"Theo doesn't." Corey responded without missing a beat, and Liam raised his brows questioningly. Far as he knew, Corey and Theo had barely spoken, he wasn't sure why he would assert that.

"I don't either." Hayden added after a moment.

Liam sighed, "You guys don't know him like I do."

"No." Corey agreed, "We don't. What we know is that you were drugged and totally out of it and he's the only one that was with you all night."

"You guys have been discussing this?"

They both nodded, looking like they'd been caught out in something.

"Okay, well, then it's a good thing I've got a bodyguard. I won't be going around doing anything like that again anytime soon." Liam felt impatient and frustrated; he knew they were just concerned about him, but he couldn't help feeling annoyed. This was why he hadn't let too many people in on what was happening with the stalker thing. He didn't want people muddying his already confused and paranoid thoughts.

Liam saw Theo glancing over at them. He still had on his 'couldn't give a shit' expression on, but his brows were quirked at Liam.

Liam gave him a quick nod, realising that Theo was trying to check on him subtly, before speaking again.

"I get that you guys are worried, but I really don't need anyone to... speculate on my behalf. It's scary enough without people making me more paranoid."

They both muttered out sorries, and he managed to get the conversation changed for a bit before he was sent back off to start filming again with different coverage.

It took some time before they were finally done and Liam was dragging himself back off to his trailer, Theo trailing somewhere behind him, as he did, seeming politely disinterested in everything that was happening.

When they got far enough away that Liam was walking on his own with Theo trailing, that no one else was around to see, Theo jogged to catch up and slid his hand into Liam's.

They walked together, Liam giving a bright smile over his shoulder at Theo, who smiled back. They both seemed happier like this, and Liam knew that he at least was.

They walked in silence into the trailer, but when Liam flipped the light on, his eyes widened. Pictures of him. The trailer was lined with pictures of him. Some from his social media or public, but some that Liam had never seen before. Some that had clearly been taken when he didn't know. And right on his mirror, right in the centre, blown up to be bigger than he ever wanted to see, were the two pictures from the club.

Chapter Text

Liam could feel movement in the bed and he grumbled, "No," he grumbled, arms tightening.

"I have to go," Theo whispered, a hint of a laugh in his voice. A fondness. "I have to go back to my room before anyone sees me in here."

"Mmm-mmm." Liam argued sleepily, "You're my bodyguard. You were protecting me. Nothing weird about it." He held on tight to Theo's torso, unrelenting. "Stay, you're warm."

Theo kept on trying to wriggle out of Liam's grip, who pouted, but refused to open his eyes. "Not done sleeping. Shh. Late start today. I should be allowed to sleep in."

"I've gotta go, Li. We agreed no one was going to find out," He was laughing now though, so Liam figured the war had already been mostly won.

Finally, reluctantly, Theo laid back in the bed, and Liam, a smug smile on his face, cuddled back up into his chest, his eyes never once opening.

They lay there for a moment before Liam mumbled, jokingly, “Fuck you, I won.”

He heard Theo snort softly, and then, “Okay, little wrecking ball. Whatever you want.”

“What time is it anyway?” Liam grumbled, getting back into his comfortable position. Theo hadn’t ever complained about Liam’s koala-like sleeping habits, but he hoped it didn’t bother him. Liam wasn’t sure he could stop it now.

“Five.” Theo admitted, hesitantly. Liam wondered if Theo knew he would be pissed at being woken up at that time.

He opened one eye, looking up at Theo, whose eyes were wide open and staring at the ceiling, one arm tucked behind his head. “Five?!”

“Yes, five.” He repeated, sighing, “I was trying to get out before anyone saw me.”

“But five though...? You understand that I most often have to get up at like, four for filming, right? That I’m tired like all the time? You couldn’t humour me with not five am just this once?” Liam’s words were grumpy, but he knew the half smile on his face would give away that he was just being dramatic and wasn’t actually upset.

"I wasn't trying to wake you up," Theo said quietly, but he also looked like he was trying not to laugh, "I was trying to sneak out quietly, go back to my room."

"Sure..." Liam said quietly, his voice a whisper in case they were heard, though he doubted any of the rooms in this house were that thing. "Except it's way worse if they see you sneaking out at five am. That definitely looks like an affair. If you just leave fully dressed at like, ten with me, then you're just a guy who was checking in on the guy he's being paid to watch over."

"Well, I was watching over you," Theo said, a smirk pulling up the corner of his lips. Liam's brows raised.

"So is this it? The coveted seduction conversation you told me we weren't having back at the old apartment?" Liam teased, brows raised, a smirk on his own face.

Theo looked down at him, and Liam couldn’t help but feel endeared. The way he arched his neck to look down at Liam gave him a little double chin, and it was adorable. He had this smile on his face that reminded Liam of back when he’d said that Theo never smiled. His hair was all messy and sticking up in funny places. He was no part the douchebag, overconfident man who had turned up on his apartment that day. But Liam had learned so much about him since then.

“Do you want it to be?” He asked.

“That’s a cop out.” Liam answered easily, “You’re meant to be seducing me, not giving me a pop quiz.”

“You’re such a shit.”

“I know.” Liam nodded, feigning seriousness. “I’ve come to accept this about myself. But I’m not the one who’s had a crush on myself since forever, so...”

Theo let out a deep sigh, “First of all, Liam... Dick move. Second of all, I hated you for like a solid five years in there.”

“Still followed me on social media though.” Liam quipped.

“Alright, that’s it, I’m going back to my bed.” Theo moved to get up again but Liam held on determinedly, wrapping his legs around Theo’s as well to keep him from leaving.

“Don’t punish me because I’m right!”

Theo was trying to look angry, but he kept letting laughter slip through and Liam found that he loved his laugh, though he’d barely ever heard it. He was still fighting to get up, but Liam was basically a backpack of dead weight on him and he wasn’t letting one of his arms free.

“Don’t fight this.” Liam whispered, giggles escaping despite his attempt at seriousness. “You can never get rid of me now. I’m like a cockroach. This is your punishment for having a crush on me in high school. I’m like the monkey’s paw. You got me but at what cost?”

“You’re a child,” Theo grumbled, finally giving up against Liam’s iron grip, falling back into the bed.

“Yes. But you wanted this. So you really can’t be any better.” He teased, playful.

“Apparently I hate myself.”

“Shut up and cuddle me.”

They fell back into a comfortable silence for a few more moments, and Liam snuggled back comfortably into his side, head rested comfortably on Theo’s chest, one arm draped over his stomach and a leg draped over his thighs. Liam still couldn’t believe this. He’d been so positive there would never be anything between them. So positive Theo hated him and there was no going back.

Theo brought his spare hand up to brush through Liam’s hair comfortingly, and Liam thought this was the most relaxed he’d been in months. Even having to hide this, even despite the terror of it all, being here, with Theo... he felt safe. Protected. Cared for. Really, Liam had never had that. Growing up the way he had, he’d seen more violence than love as a child.

But Theo, for all his inconsistency and complications, did seem to care for him. He was always comforting him when everything went to hell. Drying his hair in the hotel. Holding his hands outside the junkets. Coming running in because he screamed. It was his job, yes, but it wasn’t. He wasn’t getting paid to care, he was getting paid to protect. All of his comfort, all the kindness, staying with Liam, comforting him in the early hours of the morning. That wasn’t Theo’s job. That was just... Theo.

Liam didn’t want to overstate what this was, because he truly had no idea, but he wanted it to continue. He didn’t want to leave the safe and comforting space Theo had given him.
From day dot, even despite believing Liam had bullied him, Theo had always tried to help when he was terrified. Liam didn’t forget.

But he was also wildly emotionally constipated, which left him unable to talk about such things so readily. Instead, he sleepily kissed the spot on Theo’s chest where he lay, and then mumbled, “Did you ask me about contacts because you like my eyes?”

“They’re brighter up close,” Theo answered, a little shiver passing over him. “I had forgotten... just how blue they really were. Convinced myself it was just another way you were fake.”

“Am I still fake...?” Liam asked, his eyes closed.

“No.” Theo admitted, “You’re actually exactly as I remember you. Blunt, kinda stupid. Really, really honest. Full of raw energy.” He brushed some hair off Liam’s forehead. “I think you’re very real. And I’m afraid for you.”

“You said you wouldn’t let anyone get to me.” Liam reminded.

“I would... never forgive myself.” Theo agreed, “But... I’ve already failed you. The pictures of you... from the club.” He squeezed his eyes shut and Liam watched, noting his expressions.

“You were trying to do the right thing—“ Liam began.

“No. I told myself I was doing it to give you privacy or to... to do the right thing, but... I didn’t want to see you with him. I only looked away for a moment but when I turned back, you were gone. And I tried to follow but it was too late...”

“I don’t blame you for those photos.” Liam said softly, seriously.

“You should.” Theo said with a sigh. “And Brett.”

“Don’t...”

“How did he not realise, Liam? You were so far gone you lost time but he didn’t notice? I just... I don’t know.” He chewed his lip for a moment, contemplating his words. “I don’t trust him. I don’t want you to be alone with him. And not in a... jealous way.”

“A little bit in a jealous way?” Honestly, Liam just wanted to lighten the mood. He fucking hated this. He sucked at talking about serious stuff, he sucked at talking about his feelings, and the constant paranoia of not knowing if he could trust his own friends... Liam found he’d rather just believe Brett than fall into a pit of sadness.

Theo held up a hand, using his thumb and forefinger to demonstrate only a tiny bit.

There was a pause before Theo spoke again, “If you wanted to be with Brett, or really anyone else, I would, of course, respect that. But after everything... I would rather be there. Just so I can make sure you’re safe.”

“You would sound incredibly controlling if it wasn’t literally your job to intercept me and everyone else.” Liam teased, and Theo shook his head.

“Honestly, Liam, I would love to just be a friend and get to know your friends. But the shit that’s been done to you, it’s... it’s sickening. I know you know and love these people but to me... the way it looks is that someone is doing dangerous and illegal shit to manipulate and own you. I feel fairly certain it’s someone in this house or on the set that you know well. Well enough they could get to you. I’d love to trust them. But I don’t. It’s my job not to.”

Liam nodded, “I get it... I was just joking...” He trailed off, almost feeling guilty, as though he had caused all this in some way.

Theo seemed to sense that, because he stretched his neck to kiss the top of Liam’s head. “I’m sorry. You can do what you want. I will do what you tell me, because that’s my job. I just... If it was me, I wouldn’t trust these people.”

“You’re not... you’re not just my bodyguard anymore. I do want to know what you think, I’m just... overwhelmed.” Liam’s voice sounded fragile even to himself.

“I know,” Theo’s voice was gentle. “If you want to fire me and get another bodyguard, without the... conflict of interest, I’d understand.”

“No.” Liam answered without missing a beat, “Absolutely not, Theo. I want you here. I trust you. I guess it just scares me that you don’t trust him, because it makes me trust him less. But you’re not saying anything I haven’t thought already. It’s just validating that I’m not... y’know, going totally fucking crazy.”

“I can ask to have the band moved out...?”

“No, just... you’re right. I’d rather you be around as much as possible. I’d rather not be alone with really anyone. Or not entirely alone anyway.”

There were a few moments of extended silence before Liam spoke again, “Can you stay with me? In this room, I mean? At night?”

Theo just nodded, simply. “Like I said... I’m here for however long you want me to be.”

“So... you’re jealous, huh? I fucking knew it.” Liam commented, wanting to return to the casual banter from before.

“The stalker can’t get to you if I kill you first myself,” Theo scoffed, but Liam just grinned up at him smugly.

Liam beamed, “I totally fucking knew it.”

“Yes, well... Don’t go getting a big head.”

Liam sucked air into his cheeks like a chipmunk, as if to signify his head was growing.

“You should go back to sleep.”

Theo suggested the words softly and part of Liam wanted to, but he was awake now, and though he couldn’t stop yawning, he wasn’t sure he was getting back to sleep.

“You hyped me up by admitting you were jealous, I can’t sleep now.” Liam teased casually, yawning once more.

“You’re a child, you know that, right?”

“Yes, you’ve mentioned that,” Theo yawned back and Liam grinned, “Did you know that if you echo someone else’s yawn it’s because you want to fit in with them? Babies don’t yawn until they’re like six months old because they don’t have those social functions yet.”

“If you don’t go back to sleep, I’ll knock you out.” Theo joked, putting a hand over Liam’s eyes, as if he were a bird that would sleep just because the lights were out.

“Nah, you won’t.”

"How are you feeling?" The words were a little more tentative, a little more concerned, and Liam felt like he was going to get choked up. It was too early in the morning for such serious thoughts. For him to go over it all.

"Honestly?" He shrugged, "Don't know. Numb, I guess. Tired. A million other things I feel like I have no idea how to express... It's like I, uh, can't even bring myself to be scared anymore. I feel like at this point, I just... This just feels like... my life now."

Theo didn't immediately answer, but he returned to running his hands through Liam's hair, the movement soothing and slow. In the early morning light, Liam could almost forget. If he really tried. He just needed people to stop bringing it up so much. He knew it was out of concern, and he liked knowing that Theo did care, but being reminded only felt like someone dropping a weight on him.

"Can I ask you something?" Liam said softly, his eyes closing again, just enjoying the peace and affection.

"I feel that I'm going to regret saying yes, but sure. Go ahead."

Liam was careful, trying to pick the right words. He'd never been good at that. Acting was easy, he got given the words. But on his own? Liam could be tactless, no matter how hard he tried to be sensitive. "What were your family like?"

Theo thought for a moment before apparently deciding to answer, "Um, they were cool. I mean, it's been so long I have to really think to even be able to hear their voices in my head," He admitted, "But uh, Tara, she was my older sister. She always protected me at school and stuff. People always loved her. She was smart, smarter than me." He paused, staring up at the ceiling. "Always kinda blamed myself." Liam could see it was hurting him to talk about, which hadn't been Liam's intention at all. He just wanted to get to know him better.

"You don't have to talk about this." Liam said quickly, eyes wide with concern. He leaned up onto his elbow, pressing a kiss to Theo's lips, gentle and comforting -- at least he hoped. "I'm sorry. We were trying to make the conversation less heavy, but I just... feel like there's so much I don't know about you."

Theo’s eyes drifted from Liam’s eyes to his lips and back, and Liam couldn’t help but grin. “Unless you, uh... don’t feel like talking?” He added, brows raising.

“I mean... we can talk... if you really want to,” One of Theo’s hands trailed down Liam’s bare back and he shivered. “Or... y’know, we could do something else to take your mind off it... for a while...?”

Liam clambered on top of Theo, straddling him, no part the graceful man he appeared to be in his spiderman suit. That was the thing, he supposed, about acting. He was nowhere near as put together as photoshoots or performances would have people believe. Award shoes and interviews and a thousand other things. He was good at pretending, but he wasn't so good at really being put together.

Still, Theo didn't seem to mind, and Liam was less concerned with trying to look good than he was with spending this time with Theo. Theo was grinning up at him, looking at him with unhidden affection. It was so new to him, but god, he enjoyed it. He rested both hands on Theo's chest, and leaned down to reconnect their lips, the kiss slow and teasing this time.
Theo leaned up into it, and Liam's heart fluttered at the tiny noise that escaped from Theo's lips.

He leaned down into the kiss, which only grew more feverish, Theo's hands gripping onto Liam's hips, holding onto him tightly as if he might disappear at any moment.

Only when there was a bang on the door did Liam pull away. Theo's hair was even more of a mess and he looked pleasantly starry and distracted, enamoured, almost, as though he was unable to break himself from that moment. His eyes were still trained on Liam's lips, barely even looking in the direction of his bedroom door where there was knocking.

Liam went to get up, but Theo grabbed him by the back of the neck, pulling him back down into the kiss, more fiery and heated than before. It was Liam's turn to let a moan slip out, but he tried to strangle it, realising someone might hear. Whoever was trying to get into his room.

Liam couldn't help but giggle against the kiss, knowing he would have to get up, see what was going on, but also totally flattered and a little bit turned on by how different Theo was in the heat of the moment. By how genuinely distracted and into Liam he seemed to be in that moment.

"Theo," He mumbled against his lips, "I need to--"

"Shh," Theo interrupted, his hand snaking into Liam's hair.

Any and all willpower that Liam had was fading fast, but he knew if someone was knocking, there was a chance something had changed with filming, which Liam knew he couldn't miss. Besides, they knew he was in his room. Where else would he be?

"But--" Liam tried to protest again, but Theo pulled back, leaning up right against Liam's ear, so close Liam could feel his breath. A shiver ran down his spine.

"Stay with me instead."

Liam shivered, and when Theo's lips connected with his neck, that certainly didn't help. He let out a breathy sigh, but managed to call out, "Who's there?"

"Li, it's me." Mason called out, sounding concerned. "Are you okay? Why are you taking so long to answer? Is something going on?" He was worried, Liam was sure, and he didn't want to make it worse, but he wasn't sure if he could physically tear himself away from Theo at this point if it came from it.

"I'm--" Liam stumbled over his words, getting distracted by Theo, who was still kissing slowly down his neck, "I'm fine-- just waking up now. Do you need something?"

"I... just wanted to talk to you..." He called back, sounding more worried this time around. He supposed he hadn't exactly sounded convincing.

Liam pulled back, giving Theo puppy eyes as best he could, "Come on, Theodore, I need to talk to him," He whispered.

Theo sighed deeply and collapsed back against the bed, frowning. "What do you want me to do, hide in the closet? That's a little on the nose, isn't it?"

Liam snorted, "You don't have to hide at all, dumbass. Just... go have a shower and I'll say I asked you to come in because I was scared." He mumbled as quietly as he could, climbing off of Theo's lap and on to the bed beside him. Theo got to his feet, a familiar grumpy look on his face, walking into the bathroom while muttering something under his breath that Liam couldn't catch. He struggled to wipe the smirk from his face as he watched Theo close the door behind himself and heard the shower turn on.

He got to his feet, running his hands quickly through his hair, shaking it out, shaking his limbs out and pulling a shirt on, trying to make himself look a little less... messy.

When he finally got himself sorted, he unlocked the door, smiling awkwardly at Mason on the other side, brows furrowed in concern.

"Hey, man." He gave an awkward smile, "What's up?"

"Um... can I come in?"

Liam nodded, opening the door up for Mason to come in, his heart racing. He knew he should be able to calm down, but he suddenly felt... very nervous. Like Mason would be able to see what had happened all over his face.

He told himself that he wasn't lying, he was just... acting.

Mason moved to sit on the bed and Liam had an image of him as a child. Of little Mason, sitting cross-legged on Liam's Star Wars sheets, politely pretending not to notice the things Liam's father had said and done. He could remember how they'd sat in bed and played Eye Spy. He could remember when Mason first approached him, how he'd told Liam that he would punch Liam if Liam was willing to punch him to get out of having to ballroom dance in gym. He could remember them at fifteen, trying desperately to figure out how to do a tie because neither wanted to ask their parents. He could remember years and years and years of friendship and love and trust.

Did he really not trust him now, after all that time?

Theo had told him not to tell anyone, that this was how they found out. No ways of contacting him, no way to immediately get to him, no information. Maybe this would smoke them out. Maybe this really could be the end of it.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. I know you've been having nightmares and everything's been really weird lately. The pictures in the trailer a couple days ago and all that..."

Liam nodded slowly, biting down hard on his lip, "Yeah, I mean... I don't feel safe, exactly. I asked Theo to stay with me last night because I was scared." He admitted, thinking it was easier to slip the half truth in there. He had asked Theo to stay. But Theo had been staying every night since they kissed in Liam's trailer. He snuck in after everyone else had gone, kept his own door closed and Liam's locked, which gave them a lot of privacy as well.

Mason nodded, "That makes total sense," He agreed, "But uh... why-- why would anyone do this? I mean, the pictures... that's so weird..."

Liam nodded, "Yeah, I know." He spoke quietly, "Honestly, I'm sick of talking about how weird it is, though. I'm fine. I feel better having Theo around. I just... I can't keep living like this. I can't keep letting this person win." He shrugged his shoulders.

"So if you're scared, you feel like you're letting them win?" He asked, and Liam nodded once more. "I mean... but being not scared with Brett didn't help either."

"There's a middle ground between being reckless and being scared. I'm trying not to be reckless anymore. I'm staying in, I'm staying with my bodyguard, I'm not making stupid mistakes. That's all I can do."

Mason nodded, but he seemed concerned, "Are you sure you aren't just... in denial?"

He sighed, "I'm the furthest thing from in denial. I know my life has completely changed. I've lost my freedom. I've lost my privacy. I've lost my ability to stay home. I've lost my trust. I've lost my safety. But they can't have my sanity too."

Mason slowly nodded, as if working his way through what Liam had just said. "Okay... okay, yeah, that makes sense. I guess I'm just... worried about you. I feel like we've barely talked in weeks and... I know why. I know how weird things are for you, and it was me who told you to be suspicious even of me, and I meant that... but just... y'know, I'm here... if you need me."

Liam nodded slowly, "I know, man. I just... if I'm being honest, I don't know what the right thing to do is anymore. I'm just trying to keep moving."

Mason opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the sound of Theo opening the bathroom door behind Liam. His eyes widened, and he looked uncomfortable suddenly, looking down at the bed.

Liam glanced back at the other man. His hair was wet and he had a towel wrapped around his waist. Liam was certainly not unaffected by it, but it didn't make him uncomfortable. It just made him sort of wish they were alone in the room instead.

Theo walked to Liam’s closet and pulled out one of his shirts. He made a show of stretching up, and Liam wondered if he was being punished for letting Mason in. Theo was directly in his line of sight and Mason was pointedly not looking.

Liam sighed, and decided if they were playing into still hating each other and not being... whatever they were, then he may as well sell it.

“We get it, Jesus Christ. Could your ego be any more overwhelmingly large?” Liam snapped, sounding like he would’ve when Mason first met Theo in his apartment.

“Nobody is asking you to look at me, Dunbar.” Theo snarked back, “Or can you just not handle anyone in the world other than you getting attention?”

“Who do you imagine in this room is giving you attention right now?”

“You are, obviously. Since it upsets you so much when I’m shirtless.” He smirked, but it came off conceited and aggressive. He sounded more like the version of Theo Liam had met right back on that first day.

“So... you’re telling me I’m jealous that you’re getting... my own attention?” He challenged.
The look on Theo’s face was bored and irritated, but Liam felt like he could see something else in Theo’s eyes. Amusement. Flirtation, maybe.

“All I’m saying, Dunbar, is that you don’t have to be jealous just because I’m better looking.”
Liam’s brows raised, admittedly surprised by the comment. He obviously knew Theo didn’t mean it, but he was still a little taken off guard.

“Alright, come on.” It was Mason who spoke, and Liam’s eyes snapped over to him, surprised he’d stepped in at all. “Be nice to each other.” He had a sort of fond smile on his face

“I’m always nice. It’s him that’s the problem.” Liam nodded in Theo’s direction and he rolled his eyes.

“Nothings ever your fault.” He grumbled, and Liam thought Theo was either a better actor than he thought or actually annoyed with him.

“Well, I was gonna ask if you guys wanted to come watch a movie downstairs?” Mason offered, his tone friendly, but seeming like he thought it was already a no.

“I have filming today.”

Theo and Mason both glanced at Liam.

“Well, tonight, but I don’t have that long between to hang out. I’ll have to go earlier for hair and makeup and—“

“You don’t have filming today, Li.” Theo told him, moving to get his phone off the nightstand, as if to double check.

“I was gonna say the same thing,” Mason said casually, and Liam wondered whether he’d clocked the nickname Theo had used despite acting as though he hated Liam.

“Yeah, I do. It’s in my phone calendar,” He picked up his phone and began scrolling, finding it in his schedule. Still, both Theo and Mason shook their heads, reasserting that he didn’t.

He checked Theo’s, and then his official filming schedule, and they were both right. Nothing that day, but back on the next.

“Huh... well, sure, I guess.”

He followed his friend downstairs, and Mason made a point of sitting them on opposite sides of the room, so that they wouldn’t ‘kill each other’, Mason had explained.

The movie rolled on, and Liam barely watched it. He liked a good classic as much as the next guy, but his mind wandered.

The large room was filled with people, too many, probably.

The bodyguards had joined them too, and Liam’s team. They wound up with a long line down a long couch, and another few huddled on the ground.

From one end to the other, they had Theo, Scott, Allison, Lydia, Hayden, Mason, Corey and then Liam. On the floor, there was Erica, Boyd, Matt and Brett. It was a ridiculous amount of people, and Liam thought a lot lately about they were almost more like a YouTuber or TikTok house. People sponsored to stay together for the sake of higher engagement. Liam knew it was a guise of safety, but really, he felt like it was more of an investment. A way to keep eyes on them. They’d posted covers, pictures, videos, tiktoks. It was advertising without paying their stars, in exchange for the accomodation.

Liam couldn’t fault them. Weird as it all was for him, it made sense. Advertisement for the current version of media. Authenticity. Or at least, the guise of it. The more connected and normal you seemed, the better people liked you. Even if it was fake. That’s why social media platforms worked better for them and their demographic than other more traditional advertising.

He sort of hated it, but he was getting used to it now. The proximity. The lack of privacy. Or maybe Liam was just in better spirits because of Theo.

He braved a glance at Theo. They were both on sort of L bends of the couch, so he could see Theo clearly if he was willing. But with most of the group between them, Liam knew he was risking being caught out stealing glances at his bodyguard.

Theo was staring at the screen. He was leaning his head on one of his hands and one of his cheeks was all squished up. He had his legs up in front of himself and was resting his other arm over his knees. Liam examined, really examined, him. He tried to fit everything he knew about Theo into this image of him. Smart. He was smart, obviously. It radiated off him. A sense of strategy, of awareness, of understanding. His cogs were always turning, always observing.

He could be kind. Not always. He was standoffish with a lot of people, with nearly everyone from this group, Scott excepted. He was standoffish and guarded and came off like an asshole at first. But this same man had held Liam’s hands while he panicked and stayed up talking with him past 3am because he was scared. This same man had dried his hair for him because he couldn’t calm down and had carried him away when Liam had been tackled. Sure, these things might have been his job, but Theo cared. He actually cared. Liam felt like he could see it in him now. A protected, armoured part of him. Protectiveness. Kindness.
He was damaged. Liam didn’t mean it in some derogatory way, he was plenty damaged too. But when Liam had first seen Theo, he had imagined that a man who looked like he did would have faced next to no hardships in life.

But Theo had. His family, the bullying. There was a resilience to that damage. A boy who believed Liam had hurt him in such an awful way, yet still protected him, still took a job working directly under him. He had been wrong, but he didn’t know that then.
Liam looked at Theo and he found himself painfully endeared to the older boy.

It was only a few seconds he looked, but when Theo’s eyes flicked over and met his, Liam immediately glanced away. He didn’t give Theo time to react, setting his jaw so he would look angry or resentful rather than fond.

Liam stared at the black and white film, watching a dramatic declaration of love between two classically good looking white people. He had no idea what was happening in the movie or who these people were. He liked these old transatlantic accents, how sharp and romantic it was. He tried not to picture it, a scene like that with him, in those sophisticated suits, all glamour shots and grand romantic gestures. Liam had always been a bit of a romantic, though he rarely let anyone see that about him.

He snapped a photo of the screen, chucked it on an instagram story, and captioned it, ‘frankly my dear, i don’t give a damn’ with a rose. It was the wrong movie, naturally, but Liam was going more for sentiment.

Staying in touch, or whatever he was meant to be doing. Being ‘authentic’. It was funny how a month ago that had been so important to him, now he was too scared to be anything close to honest with most people.

The movie wore on, and Liam snatched glances whenever he could, split seconds to see how Theo was reacting, to see how he was sitting... He had gotten so soft for this man in such a short period of time and he almost felt embarrassed about it, forcing himself to stare forward.

After it ended, everyone sat around, playing drinking games, talking. Their whole lives had become like a gathering, a group of people hanging out. Liam and Theo stayed away from each other, Liam sitting in a group with his band and Theo sitting with the bodyguards, Corey, Mason and Hayden. They were drinking and talking, playing some game of Never Have I Ever that Liam had no real interest in.

He found himself wishing he was elsewhere. Though it was nice to be around friends again, Liam liked being on his own. He had always been something of an introvert, and this had only reiterated that desire to be alone.

The distrust was on the tip of his tongue at all times, and while he was trying to disregard it, it was there. When Matt suggested a game of Spin the Bottle, Liam made excuses for himself, backing out of the group and moving over to Scott and Lydia, who were sat on the floor talking. He dropped to the floor with them and tried to slot into that conversation.

He realised he was more going through the motions of the time, trying to be fun, trying to pose for pictures when asked and trying to drink when handed one. He was trying to be himself, but anyone who knew him well would surely see his absolute lack of enthusiasm for it all.

Only when it was an appropriate time did Liam make his way to bed. He showered, got into his pyjamas and just lay in the bed, taking the time to quietly recharge after a day spent around people.

His people. A month ago, he would've done anything to spend all his time with them. Now, he was struggling to remember anything they had talked about. It wasn't exciting. He wasn't having fun. He just wanted to retreat back into his bubble, where it was safe. Where things were easier.

He scrolled absentmindedly through twitter. Things were quieter. He saw lots of reposts of his pictures with various captions, but very little in the way of new rumours. People were back to debating wanting him to be with Hayden or Brett or Theo, but Liam didn't have the energy to care. As long as the picture from the club wasn't popping up, Liam could be totally fine with that. That was fine.

His phone vibrated in his hand and a banner came up with a message from Theo. His contact was saved under 'work' and Theo was using a burner phone. Liam's own phone was new, and thus far, he hadn't heard a thing from the stalker.

'all day i wished i could just walk over and put my arms around you.'

Liam's smile widened, warmed. For all his panic and exhaustion, this was something he could smile about. He thought for a moment, before texting back: 'i kept trying to look at you during the movie'.

They were being giddy, like school kids with a first love, but in a weird way, maybe they were. Maybe this was what they were supposed to have then. When they were just two sad, angry teenagers who had been stopped from getting to each other even then.

Another banner popped up, 'i knew you were watching me. my spidey senses were tingling'.

Liam couldn't help but laugh softly at that. He was basically grinning at the phone. He supposed he could finally stop pretending that he'd ever thought Theo was anything other than gorgeous now, since he was allowed to actually like him now. He had spent a little bit there trying to convince himself that Theo wasn't that good looking, simply because Theo was awful to him. But now, things had changed.

Liam: yes, well, it was fun to watch you squish your face up with your palm. you looked like a marshmallow.

Work: are you into marshmallows?

Liam: ... i think i'm supposed to say something flirty back, but I don't know how to hit on a marshmallow

Work: oh come on, pup. be more creative.

Liam: one day, you'll stop stop reprimanding me and say something nice instead. like, hey liam, i appreciate your honesty about being terrible at flirting.

Work: hey liam, your total inability to flirt properly is weirdly endearing.

Liam: ... not what i wanted, but i'll take it

Liam: are you coming in here tonight? you can show me how endearing i am...

Work: see? you can do it. you just needed encouragement. and a good teacher. clearly someone hasn't been doing their job, because you would not be passing the class without me to help you out.

Liam: none of that was an answer, theodore

Work: when everyone's asleep, i'll come in.

It was another hour at least before Theo came in, and by the time he did, Liam was already ninety percent of the way to sleep.

"Hey," He heard the whisper in his hear, felt the arms curl around him, the shift in weight on his bed.

Liam turned towards the warmth instinctively, curling into Theo, tucking his head in against Theo's neck. He recognised the comforting voice, the familiarity. He recognised the feeling of having Theo right there. It hadn't been long yet, and yet, he had gotten so used to having Theo there with him, to not being alone.

He felt Theo kiss the top of his head as he drifted off to sleep, and for the first real time in a month, Liam went to sleep happy.

Chapter Text

It was days like these, when Liam was hanging upside down from by wires in front of a green screen in a skintight body suit, that he wondered what the hell he was doing with his life.

Liam loved his job. Genuinely. He loved the outfits, he loved the people, he loved sets and craft services and hanging out in his trailer with his friends.

Time drew on, and things remained mostly the same. His security stayed tight, Theo never left his side these days, they pretended to hate each other. Rinse and repeat.

They got further into filming, and Liam sometimes went to visit his parents when he had a moment. They had been put up in a new place too for the time being.

Liam, for whatever it meant, began to forget. He hung out with his friends more. He learned how to be closed from people. That you could love people without opening yourself up for them to hurt you. He learned what it meant to be in a healthy, nice relationship.

The studio were happy. Scenes got filmed.

Peter Hale stood under him, blue eyes staring up at him, a grin on his face. “Is this what you imagined when you started acting? Does it live up to the hype?”

Liam grinned down at him, swinging slowly in a circle because of his slight movements. “You know, if you were a little taller, we could do the famous Spider-man kiss.” He joked, having always gotten on well with his more famous costars.

“Oh, stop. You’re making me blush.” Peter told him with a grin, arms folding over his fully costumed chest. He had already paused to take a photo of Liam upside down. Guaranteed he’d want to post it, though it was harder to say if he’d be allowed.

Liam was in full costume, so it didn’t give away much of the bloody prosthetics underneath.
He had both arms up in a weird, upside down thumbs up and Peter had sort of giggled as he took it, no doubt revelling in how stupid Liam must look.

Liam heard the familiar bells on set and heard Stiles call out. “You good for one more take, Kiddo?”

Liam had been hanging a while, and honestly he was starting to feel a little sick, but he gave a thumbs up anyway.

“I was a little busy trying to—“ Liam called out, his voice taking on the younger quality he used for Peter Parker.

He heard Peter Hale call out, standing on his mark with his hands on his hips, looking up at Liam — or Peter — with irritated concern. “If you struggle, you’re going to—“

The rig dropped, and Liam fell straight down onto the padded mat beneath him with an appropriate ‘oof’.

He heard Peter calling out, “You okay, kid?”

Liam groaned, playing up the acting, and a moment later, he heard Stiles yell ‘Cut’.

Liam just lay there for a second, spread eagle on the pad. He loved his suit, in theory at least, but it was damned uncomfortable at the best of times. Never mind when he was also competing with strategically placed and yet painful wires.

Stunt team members were already helping Liam to detangle and unhook from the wires. That part of the scene was done, which at least meant Liam and his unavoidable wedgie could act in only his uncomfortable and skintight suit.

Jackson stood on the sidelines too, probably ready to force Liam to do more pushups between scenes, reminding him that he had to be fit to be a superhero. Liam rather resented the notion actually, but a certain physical appearance was required of him, so there wasn’t much he could do about that.

Theo was where he always was, at the back of the group, arms folded, looking appropriately bored, dark glasses blocking his eyes, which were unmistakably on Liam.

Liam had gotten good at not looking at him too much when others were around, though sometimes he just really wanted to.

Once they were all reset, Liam was moved from a mat onto a more appropriate looking stage floor right nearby, laying on the hard foam rocks he was meant to have fallen on.

He waited until Gabe, who was in charge of continuity, was happy with his exact position and then waited for them to set up enough to start the scene.

This part was more acting, and Liam had the bloody prosthetics on his face to prove it. It was easy to look tired, because he felt it anyway.

Peter sauntered forward, knelt in front of Liam, “Should have listened to me, kid.” He told him, all blue eyed smirks and know it all attitude. “You okay?”

Liam pulled the mask off his face defeatedly, letting the tiredness shine through on his face. “Fine.” His own voice sounded strangled in his ears and he was glad.

Liam had always loved playing Peter Parker, but it was easier now than ever. Peter was struggling under the weight of pressure and notoriety. He struggled with being in danger, and with feeling as though he put those he cared about in danger. He struggled with feeling like he had earned his power or position.

Liam could relate to all those feelings. The fear. The pressure. The overwhelming, weighing, constant knowledge that kids were looking up to you. The paranoia that at some point, one of the bad guys trying to get to him would succeed, that maybe he’d be gone forever.

The scene went on, and Liam found it easier than ever to play Peter. He was overwhelmed, out of his depth, afraid. Liam was too. Peter Hale was doing most of the talking anyway— Liam mostly just had to react. He had bits to say here and there, but the scene was more about Tony putting Peter in his place somewhat.

When they were done, Liam pulled himself to his feet, stretching out and hearing the uncomfortable crack of his back. That was probably all the flipping around in a skin tight suit, he thought, not to mention his increasingly unstable sleep schedule.

Kira often joked that he would send her grey early with his eye bags, but Liam just flashed her a grin, made some casual comment about how he hadn't been able to sleep and gone on with life. He tried hard not to talk too much about his fears and his nightmares.

At this point, Liam had had nightmares about pretty much everybody. He was good at faking happy during the day, good at forgetting. But at night, he couldn’t fend the fear that hurt been burned into him off.

Some people more than others, for sure, and some upset him more than others.
They almost always ended with someone he loved getting hurt by the stalker. Sometimes, the stalker was some faceless evil, something Liam could never catch or hold onto, but which turned up, hurt someone he loved and then disappeared as if it was never there.

Sometimes, the stalker was Theo. Theo, with his familiar voice and his changing eyes and the comfort Liam had come to associate him with. Those ones scared him the most, Liam thought. He would find out in a different way every time. Theo would accidentally repeat something Liam had never told him, or he would slip up and say it. More than once, the dream had turned when Theo had hurt him.

Sometimes, it was Mason. Mason, his best friend since age six, his most constant and beloved rock in his life. The dreams where it was Mason were always the ones where Liam woke up most terrified, the most totally inconsolable. The person who had seen Liam at his absolute worst, yet never abandoned him, betraying him so deeply. So seriously.

Sometimes, it was Scott. His agent, whom he had viewed as family since he was sixteen. Whose mother playfully called him her grandson. Who had got him this gig and every other one he'd ever had. Who had spent countless evenings sitting on his floor eating pizza and watching intentionally terrible movies. Who had always supported him and who had been more than respectful of Liam needing space. He woke up the most unsettled after these ones. The most shaky.

Sometimes, it was Corey or Hayden. His costars, his close friends, people he’d known for nearly two years now and been tight with since the first day. Sometimes he dreamt they were working together, and those dreams almost always involved his loved ones getting hurt. His parents frequently featured in the dreams, but only ever as the victims of it all. Maybe that was Liam’s guilt. The absolute fear that they would be collateral damage in his stalker’s obsession.

Sometimes, it was Brett. Sometimes he found out Brett had drugged him, had set him up in that club, had exposed him to everyone so that people would push them together. Sometimes, Liam would wake up, drenched in sweat, and desperately need to check his phone to make sure those photos hadn’t gone public. Sometimes, he would need to pull away from Theo, sit alone in the dark, and feel like no one could come near him or touch him without being fully aware. He barely ever talked about the fear and damage that had come from that night, even to Theo. But on nights where it was Brett, he found he couldn’t hide it anymore.

Liam could list absolutely everyone he’d ever met and explain the awful dreams where it was them. In some weird way, Liam wished they would come for him already. The dragging, loaded silence only felt like the calm before the storm, and Liam could try to return to normalcy, but sometimes he couldn’t pretend, not even to himself.

He’d had dreams about everyone. Theo, Scott, Mason, Corey, Hayden, Brett, Stiles, Malia, Jackson, Peter, Matt, Allison, Erica, Boyd, Lydia, Kira, Nolan. Just about everyone he knew. The growing list of people he cared deeply about, yet couldn’t truly trust.
Sometimes he even dreamt about other people from High School that he knew worked around here, had followed similar paths.

Peter and he stood on set talking for a moment, waiting to be told if they could leave or if there was more to do.

“You okay, kid?”

“Careful, you’re starting to sound like Tony.” Liam warned, using humour to avoid the question. If he looked sad or tired or worried, Peter wouldn’t be the only one noticing it. Stiles, Malia, Theo, Scott, they were all here. Stiles would be worried about his performances, Malia would be worry about his safety in filming stunts, Theo and Scott would just worry about him.

“Yeah, well, you’re starting to look like Peter. And not the good, me kind.” He warned with a half smile. “Like the tired, angsty kid kind.”

“Method.” Liam answered with a shit-eating grin and a dramatic bow, hoping Peter would just drop it.

“Isn’t it your twenty-first soon?” He asked, and Liam’s eyes widened.

“Shhh.” Liam hushed him abruptly, urgently.

Peter gave him a look as if to point out he was an idiot. “Dunbar, you’re famous. They’re not gonna miss your birthday, it’ll be all over social media.”

Liam sighed, “I’m not hoping they’ll miss it. I’m hoping by the time they remember it’ll be too late to plan a party or something.”

He raised his brows, “Why wouldn’t you want that? You’re a young, good looking kid with money and fame. The world’s your oyster. Why wouldn’t you go out and... y’know. Go fishing.”

“That is a terrible analogy.” Liam told him, though the tiny smile pulling through outright betrayed him. “I’m not looking to go fishing. I’m looking to go napping.”

“You know, I’d kill to be your age again.” Peter told him, shaking his head, “Not that I have any trouble picking up or anything, but to be a twenty-one year old heartthrob again? Those were the days. Could get away with anything.”

Liam rolled his eyes, “You’re gross, dude.”

“And you are wasting the best days of your life being good at your job.” Peter told him, a sarcastic smirk on your face.

“I think Stiles would murder you on the spot if he heard you suggest to me that I should be thinking more about dating than work.”

“I’d like to see him try.” Peter joked, but they were interrupted by Stiles telling them they could leave.

Gabe took photos of them before they left for the sake of continuity, and a new AD, Josh, came over to update them on where they needed to go and be.

At some point, Theo sidled over, no doubt to check when they were leaving, only for Liam to come to the uncomfortable realisation that something had shifted.

Josh and Theo were looking at each other with recognition, and Liam was pretty sure he could place it immediately. He recognised that tension. He’d lived that tension before. Maybe Peter did too, because he simply smiled that smug smile at them, like he knew exactly what was happening.

“Theo... hey. I didn’t know you worked here,” It was friendly, but reluctant. Awkward.

Theo cleared his throat, looking more flustered than Liam had ever seen him. “Yeah. I’m Liam’s bodyguard.” He gestured at Liam with his arm, but didn’t look at him, eyes still fixed on Josh.

Liam hated it.

“Oh.” Josh gave a smile, and it was shy. He was good looking, Liam noted. Taller than them both, with dark hair and eyes. His hair curled up at the edges, and his smile seemed to light up his whole face. “Well, it’s good to see you again. Maybe we could, uh, catch up for a coffee or something. It’s been so long.”

Theo still hadn’t broken eye contact, nor had Josh, and Liam felt like a child trying to get his parents’ attention. Peter kept smirking, and that only annoyed Liam more.

“Sure.” Theo said casually, but he smiled back, and Liam had to consciously remind himself that he was an actor, and goddamnit he could act like he wasn’t jealous, or he didn’t deserve this role.

“How do you guys know each other?” Liam asked. There, he sounded totally casual, totally unbothered, not at all like his stomach was flipping with jealousy and anxiety.

Josh finally looked down at Liam, but Theo didn’t. Why wasn’t Theo looking at him? Sure, they’d only been together about a month, but they basically lived together.

“We, uh, dated.” Josh told him half heartedly, though it was obvious he was being polite. He wanted to talk to Theo alone, Liam was an intrusion. “A while ago now.”

Peter chuckled, and Liam glanced up at him. Bastard was so smug. He always knew what was going on.

“Yeah, uh, Josh is from Beacon Hills too,” Theo explained, and Liam must be getting better with self control, because he didn’t grumble at Theo to look at him.

“Oh.” Liam nodded once. “Is half the set from our nowhere town working on this shoot?”

“Uh, sorta.” Josh said with a half smile, “I guess one of the higher ups grew up there, seem to give preferential treatment to people who apply from there.” He explained with a shrug. He seemed nice. Liam hated him.

“So, uh, how have you been? You’ve gotten fitter.” Josh turned his attention back to Theo, and Liam was ready to just walk off, but was trying to keep calm. Far as anyone knew, he and Theo weren’t dating. Theo wasn’t his. Theo didn’t spend his nights with his arms around Liam. Liam didn’t wake up every morning and examine the length of Theo’s eyelashes before Theo could leave. They hated each other. Liam was his employer. Theo was his bodyguard.

“Yeah,” Theo nodded, “Guess it comes with the job description. Gotta be sort’ve intimidating.”

Peter patted Liam on the shoulder casually, “Might be time to go fishin’, kid. Wanna come to crafty with me?”

What the fuck? Did Peter know? He certainly seemed to, based on his reaction to Theo and Josh talking. How could he possibly know? They barely spoke in public. Theo stayed away, looked bored. They barely acknowledged each other.

“Um, sure.” Liam nodded, and walked off with Peter. He nodded a goodbye to Josh, but didn’t look at Theo again as he went.

Peter swung his arms casually, and he still had that smug smile, but he didn’t speak.

“So. How is it living in a house with all of them? Can’t say I envy you. But times are changing, I suppose.” Peter began, all politeness now. Liam still felt a little like he was being mocked, but he didn’t think it was Peter’s intent exactly.

“Annoying.” Liam admitted. “I like privacy. Being around so many people all the time is... overwhelming. Putting it nicely.”

“I can imagine.” He nodded. “It’s a wonder you’re not all at each others’ throats by now.”

It was a wonder. Liam was sure he would be, except he was never there lately. Liam was in the movie more than anyone else by a long shot, which meant he was rarely home. He spent a lot of time on set, probably more than he needed to, because at least he could be alone in his trailer.

“I’m barely around people.” Liam admitted, “I love ‘em all, which is exactly why they can’t always be in my space. I’d murder them.”

They both laughed, and while Peter hadn’t mentioned Theo at all, Liam had a feeling he knew. That he was trying to figure out a way to let Liam know he knew.

“You know, people see things on sets all the time.” He said as he bit into a donut. “Things they’re not supposed to see. There’s always someone around.”

“What do you mean...?” Liam asked, paranoia climbing back into his chest like a familiar friend coming home.

“Nothing, kid. Just, uh... y’know. You didn’t need to be tied down. You got your whole life ahead of you.” He patted Liam on the shoulder once more, “Now’s the time to go fishing. You never know who else might be.”

There was something unusually kind about the way he spoke. Liam thought Peter was trying to reassure him about what happened, maybe. Tell him not to get hung up on Theo. How Peter knew anything, Liam had no idea. But he seemed not to be telling anyone, so at least he could hope that would continue.

“Oh... thanks.” Liam said slowly, a frown etched into his face.

“I’m gonna go back to my trailer. Walk with me?” Peter offered, and Liam wondered if it was maybe an excuse. If Peter was offering to walk Liam back to his trailer so that he wasn’t alone, so that he didn’t have to ask Theo to come.

“Okay.” Liam nodded deftly, walking with Peter back to their trailers in near silence. They were nearly side by side, so that was fine, and only Liam and Theo had keys to his, which felt a little safer. Liam was pretty sure no one could attack him on this set anyway— there were too many people, too many cameras.

When they got to his trailer, Peter hesitated before speaking, eventually saying, “Listen. You’re Liam fucking Dunbar. You’re a superhero. You’re a household name. You’re young and successful and you have a whole career mapped out from here. Don’t forget who you are.”

He left Liam with that, and Liam really had no idea what to make of it. Obviously Peter thought a lot more of him than Liam realised, and obviously he was trying to reassure Liam. Maybe he’d just seen the jealousy in his face. Maybe he knew something and just guessed Liam was feeling sad. Either way, Liam re-locked his trailer and went to lay down on the futon inside.

He was suddenly overwhelmingly tired, avoiding looking at the spot where he and Theo first kissed. He was being stupid. Theo hadn’t done anything wrong. He hadn’t even known Josh was going to be there. All that really bothered Liam was the way Theo had stared at him like he couldn’t look away, had totally ignored Liam.

Liam told himself he didn’t have the energy to panic right then. He was exhausted, overwhelmed and still wearing makeup and a Spider-man suit.

He forced himself to stand up, forced himself to change into tracksuit pants, forced himself to wipe some of the heavy makeup off, leaving only smudges off it left behind, then collapsed back onto his futon.

It was been nearly an hour since he’d last seen his bodyguard, and Theo was nowhere to be heard.

Liam sometimes found that when he was panicking, the only thing that calmed him down was sleep. He was drifting off within moments of laying down, so that was easy, and he figured he deserved it.

It was a while before he was awoken by Theo’s arrival into the trailer.

He blinked tiredly when the man entered, pulling himself into a sitting position and trying to adjust to the light, as if trying to figure out whether or not it was still daytime.
In actual fact, it had barely been a few hours, but Liam was always out of it after a nap.

“Hey, sleepy head.” Theo greeted as he locked the trailer door behind him, doing a cursory glance around the place to make sure everything was clear and normal.

“Time is it?” Liam grumbled, rubbing his eyes confusedly as he tried and failed to stifle a yawn.

“Just went four pm. You don’t have more filming till eight, you can go back to sleep.” He affirmed, going to Liam’s fridge and getting a drink from it, before flopping down into a chair.

“You’ve been gone hours.” Liam commented, yawning through the final word and obscuring what he was trying to say.

“Yeah, sorry.” He nodded, “I got held up on set. You’ve been alright though, yeah? You were with Peter.”

Liam nodded, “You don’t need to follow me literally every second of the day,” He confirmed with a half smile, starting to wake properly now.

He wanted to ask about Josh, but he didn’t want to sound overly clingy, especially since Theo hadn’t actually done anything wrong.

“So...” Liam began, nervousness bleeding through his tone.

“I didn’t know he was going to be here.” Theo interrupted, and Liam wondered if he’d really been that obvious.

“I didn’t ask.” Liam answered, blinking, a little self conscious about being called out, especially because... Theo was right, he had been wanting to ask.

“You were going to though, no?” Theo glanced up at him, brows raised. There was something defensive about Theo’s posture, which only made Liam feel weirder about the whole thing. If it didn’t matter, why was it anything?

Liam just shrugged, acting as nonchalant as he could muster. “Why are you acting so weird?” He asked, eyeing him.

“I’m...” He sighed, “I’m sorry. I guess I’m just... the whole thing took me off guard.” He admitted, getting up again and moving to sit next to Liam on his futon.

Liam nodded finally, “Okay. But I feel like you’re defending yourself from an attack that never came. Which honestly, just... makes me wonder why you’re so defensive.”

He shook his head. “The whole thing is... awkward.” He admitted, “We dated for a long time and I... left him because of this job.”

“Oh.” Liam was feeling a little weird now. “So... so you got out of a long term relationship two months ago... and you’ve been with me for a month...” He trailed off.

“Don’t- don’t do that.” Theo said quickly, shaking your head. “I can see your wheels turning, stop it. You’re not a rebound. We didn’t end on bad terms. It’s not him.”

Liam’s breath was a little sharp, “When it’s my friends, you say everyone’s a suspect. But when it’s your ex, you’re automatically confident it isn’t him...?”

Theo sighed, “I just mean...” He frowned, shook his head, “No, you’re right. If everyone’s a suspect, he is too.”

“Did he know?” Liam asked slowly. “What you thought I did to you? That you hated me?”

Theo nodded slowly. “It was a big thing for me, Liam. I nearly got expelled over it. I didn’t know you had nothing to do with it.”

“So... what you’re saying is that this man believes you left him because of me, believes I’m a horrible person and believes you hate me. So...”

“We’re just friends, Li.” Theo was quick to add, his eyes betraying his own concerns.

“Okay, Theo.” Liam sounded tired, and he was sure he looked it too. Theo looked sad, his expression tight and tired. Liam’s unfounded and admittedly irrational jealousy had quickly shifted to something else. Theo had been so quick to defend Josh, so quick to be suspicious of everyone else.

“Liam...” He was sighing, leaning forward like he was trying to engage Liam back in conversation.

“What?” Liam asked, still sounding mostly defeated.

“I’ll keep an eye on him, okay?” He said slowly, reaching for Liam’s hand. Liam didn’t pull away, but he didn’t actively join in either.

Liam nodded slowly. There were a few beats of silence. “Do you still have feelings for him?” He asked, his voice not accusatory, just sort of sad and serious.

Liam just eyed him, trying to find answers in his eyes while he thought. The seconds dragged on, and Liam actually felt guilty. Maybe he’d broken up a couple with this job. Maybe a couple that would’ve been happier together. He knew he hadn’t forced Theo to take the job, but he couldn’t help feeling worried and guilty anyway. Maybe Theo still loved Josh. Maybe Liam was just Theo drudging up old memories, fulfilling old grievances. If that was the case, Liam would step back willingly. It would hurt, obviously, but Liam was already putting enough people in danger without making people unhappy on top of that.

“I still care about him.” Theo conceded quietly, “But not in that way. Not like I do you.”

“Look,” Liam began, his voice small, “If you want to go back to him, then...—“

“I don’t.” Theo cut in, eyes wide, full of worry. “I don’t.”

“Look, just... don’t answer yet. Think about it.” He said slowly, “Because I don’t want to be the thing that interrupted some love story, and I don’t want to just be some... childhood memory you dragged up and projected and...”

Theo actually looked emotional, which only made Liam feel bad. “Do you... actually think that? That I’m just trying to fulfil some childhood fantasy?”

“I don’t know.” Liam admitted. “You’ve acted super weird about this all and...”

“I understand why you feel that way.” Theo finally said, though his voice was strained, and Liam felt like maybe he understood less than he was letting on. “But come on, Liam. After everything. You really believe I’m using you?” He looked pained, and Liam didn’t think he’d ever seen Theo emote this much in his face.

He shrugged, “I’m sorry if it hurts your feelings, but I’m being honest. You’re the one who told me not to trust anyone. And right now it feels like... all I really am to anyone is some perception of me that is nothing like who I really am.” He paused, “I’m tired of being some abstract concept. I’m tired of feeling like I’m not my own person.”

“Wait...” Theo blinked, hurt, “Are you implying I’m doing what the stalker is doing? Projecting what I want you to be onto you?”

Liam sighed, “No. I’m implying that I’m really fucking tired and... if I’m just... in the way then I don’t want to do it.”

“Why— why would you assume you’re in the way?” He asked, brows furrowing, his voice rising as if getting more and more frustrated. “What even made you think that?”

“Are you kidding?” Liam asked, “Besides the fact that you’re outright defending that it’s not him when you keep saying to suspect anyone. Or maybe the fact that you didn’t look at me once when he was there.”

Theo blinked, eyes running over Liam’s face. Liam felt uncomfortable under the examination, but didn’t know what to say about it, instead just waiting for Theo to say something. To acknowledge what he’d said past staring at him like he was staring into his souls.

“Li,” He reached for Liam’s other hand now too, a weirdly gentle gesture from Theo. He was generally only like this at night, Liam had found. “I wasn’t looking at you because we agreed not to let on that we even liked each other as friends.”

Liam just stared, didn’t say anything back for an extended moment.

Theo went on, “You’re right about me defending him though. I’m so used to distrusting your friends. I guess I forgot how hard that must be for you. It was hard when it was someone I trusted under the microscope. But you’re right. If everyone’s a suspect, he is too.”

Liam just nodded silently, and Theo looked like he had given up on this fight. Liam was clearly finished having it, clearly run out of things to say.

Theo just eyed him for a moment before he shifted forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Liam’s shoulders in a hug. Liam’s arms hung loosely at his sides, and he tried to think this through. Was he being paranoid or unreasonable? Sure, Theo had been there for him. But Theo also knew how much Liam had been through. How paranoid he was. How violated he felt and how much he had lost his privacy and agency. Theo knew better than anyone how hard this all was for Liam. The way he had acted made Liam feel like Theo might know, but he didn’t really understand.

Still, Theo was just clinging for a moment. Like he was hoping if he could just hug hard enough Liam would return to him as they had been before. Liam had been jealous, it was true, but this wasn’t jealousy. This was fear. Liam was afraid that Theo wouldn’t take the possibility of it being Josh seriously. He was afraid he was being played for a fool, maybe even unintentionally on Theo’s part.

After a moment, Liam reluctantly hugged him back, arms around the other man’s torso, though far less enthusiastically than Theo’s hug. Liam wondered if he was wrong, if he was being harsh, but he had been burned so much lately— his trust had worn too thin.

The rest of the day dragged on with a sort of heavy silence between them. Theo clearly didn’t know what else he could say, and honestly, Liam just didn’t want to hear it. He would get over it, he was sure, but after everything, he just needed a moment to recalibrate, to make sure he hadn’t overreacted.

Finding out Liam thought Theo might be using him had clearly upset Theo, and while Liam understood that, he couldn’t in good conscience say he hadn’t meant the question. He had meant it. He needed to be sure.

He was taking a big risk on being with Theo behind closed doors— and he was doing it because he thought Theo was worth that. But if Liam was some rebound for Josh, he wanted to know.

*

“No, do it, I’ll catch you!” Liam giggled, arms out.

“This is a real stupid idea, Li.” Corey told him, shaking his head.

“You doubt my abilities? Please. I could catch you in my sleep! And there’s a mat below us anyway!” Liam grinned, a challenging smile taking over his face.

“You’re an idiot.” Corey told him, but he jumped from the set piece anyway. Liam caught him bridal style (with a little bit of stumbling) and Hayden caught it on tape. It’d be up on an instagram story within minutes, he assumed, which was fine. His presence was still there without him specifically being.

Hayden told them to pose before he put Corey down and Liam held Corey up dramatically, raising his chin in his best impression of a proper superhero.

Corey went limp in his arms, resting one hand on his forehead dramatically and pretending to be unconscious. The photo would no doubt be hilarious— and it was a great reminder to Liam of why these people were his friends.

He wished his friendships could be simple again. He missed when he could just love his friends without wondering if someone was going to hurt him or his loved ones. He missed sheer trust and friendship. Right now, he felt totally isolated, so he was trying to pretend. Trying to forget. Trying to remember all their times together.

“I’m going to tag it hashtag-coriam.” Hayden told them with a triumphant grin, “Since Corey was so offended to be left out of Liam’s weird ship war.”

Liam just rolled his eyes dramatically, but within minutes the three were running around again. They were early for filming, waiting for everything to be set correctly and ready to go. The scene wasn’t the most serious, really, a reunion in the destroyed school after the fight. Liam would be in his full suit, sans mask, and he would need the appropriate hair and makeup again. Kira had done wonders, as she always did, and Malia was standing by to help Liam. He had to flip down from the set piece Corey had jumped on, and while he was wired, Liam could’ve done it easily without it. Thank gymnastics for that.

Liam was sprinting away from Corey and Hayden, who chased him jokingly, calling things out at him. This was them. This was why people liked them together. Pure joy and chaos.

After a moment, Liam felt arms around his waist and he was pulled to a stop, finally caught by his agent.

“Gotcha, Dunbar.” He joked brightly, and Liam struggled to get away, grin still on his face.

“Unfair, you’ve always been an amazing runner.” Liam told him, shaking his head. Scott let him go and grinned.

“Please, I couldn’t help but join in. I miss being part of the joke rather than being the professional on set.”

Liam just laughed. “Well, you’ve barely been around lately. All that time with your new girlfriend?” Liam asked with a wink. “By the way, I totally know it’s Allison.”

Scott’s expression went from a grin to a shocked ‘o’. “Wait— how’d you know that?”

“The walls have ears,” Liam grinned. “So how’s it going? You two are great for each other. She’s so good with songwriting. I’m always writing with either her or Brett, but I think she’s better. Don’t tell Brett.”

Scott seemed shy, but he couldn’t stop grinning his dimpled grin, and Liam felt a rush of joy for his friend. “She’s really cool, man. I really like her. She’s been coming to set to hang out with me a bit too, but the whole thing’s been really... awesome.”

“Well, remember I get to be a groomsman when you get married.” He teased with a nudge. “But don’t stand me next to Theo, okay? He’s too annoying.”

“Liam, hand on my heart, I would never, ever put you in my wedding.”

Liam burst out laughing and a moment later, they were called back to set. Liam’s spirits were lifting. He was still upset and unsure with Theo, but hanging out with Peter, Corey, Scott and Hayden had greatly improved his mood.

Liam thought a lot about what Peter had said to him.

'Listen. You’re Liam fucking Dunbar. You’re a superhero. You’re a household name. You’re young and successful and you have a whole career mapped out from here. Don’t forget who you are.'

Peter was right, sort of. Liam wasn't an actual superhero, he was just a kid. Just a random kid who'd gotten lucky. But Liam had also fallen into himself. He'd lost a lot of his relationships with friends over the last weeks. They were still there, but they felt more strained. He felt so distrustful, so lonely, so trapped. It had been a month and he didn't even know if Theo was officially his boyfriend. They'd never discussed it. They always had too much else going on, mostly spending stolen moments together. Liam was sick of living like this.

He had to start hanging out with his friends again. Mason. Scott. His band. Hayden. Corey. If anyone was annoyed he'd put distance between them, they didn't let on to his face. Liam didn't know if that was empathy or leniency, but he was glad for it. For the first time in a while, he felt motivated to fix it.

Maybe Theo was telling the truth. Maybe he and Josh were nothing anymore and Liam was overreacting. But Liam didn't care. He was sick of feeling paranoid.

If someone wanted to come for him, so be it. He was done with hiding.

Chapter Text

“Absolutely not.”

Liam raised his brows, challenging, “I’m not sure at what point I invited you to tell me what I can and can’t do.”

“When you hired me. When you started dating me. When you looked at me with those adorable eyes in high school and I was a fucking goner forever.”

“Cute, but I fail to see how this has anything to do with you deciding on my actions for me.”

Liam turned, staring into the mirror as he ran his hands through his messy hair, getting ready to start the day. So far, he had been making good on his promise to himself not to be pushed around. Not to be scared anymore.

He repeated it nearly every day to himself, like a mantra. ‘If they want me, they can come get me.’

Theo let out a huff and wrapped his arms right around Liam’s middle from behind, his chin resting on Liam’s shoulder, looking at Liam in the mirror too. It felt like a bear hug, strong and warm and familiar, and despite himself, Liam smiled.

“Does it matter if I say that I really, really don’t want you to?” He asked, all wide eyed and pleading.

“Fuck no.”

Liam felt Theo’s lips pressed against his neck, and he tried (and failed) to suppress the shiver that ran down his spine.

“What if I really, really, really don’t want you to?” His voice has dropped a little softer now, more sultry, and he keeps kissing Liam’s neck, and Liam keeps wondering when he became so susceptible to Theo’s charms.

Liam sighed, “For anything else, I’d just give in, but no. I told you, I’m done with all this.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you meant you were done with me.” Theo’s tone was playful and nonchalant, but Liam was pretty sure he could see a freckle of fear in Theo’s eyes. Maybe he really thought it was what Liam meant.

“No, that’s not what I meant.” Liam shook his head, wiping moisturiser over his face, ignoring Theo’s arms tight around him for the moment. “But we’re not a couple either.”

Theo stood up straight, arms falling from around Liam. Any hint of mirth was gone from his face, no pretence of joking around or of not caring. Liam thought of the angry, cocky boy with a chip on his shoulder from months ago and he could barely believe this same man could look so much like a wounded puppy barely a few minutes later. “What?” He asked, seemingly lost.

“I just mean...” Liam shrugged, turning to face Theo in the small bathroom. “We’ve never officially... labelled this.” He gestured between them. “And frankly... I don’t know why you’d want to. You hate the celebrity thing and being in the public eye and... the way I interact with fans. Truth is, I don’t have a lot to offer you. Not even a quiet, normal relationship.”

“Well, fuck.” Theo grumbled, humour in his tone though Liam could see he didn’t think there was anything funny about this. “Here I was thinking I’d been your boyfriend for the past month or so and finding out you... didn’t think so. And also... have been spiralling about having nothing to offer me...?” It was sarcasm, not lighthearted humour, and Liam knew he’d pissed Theo off again.

“I’m just...” Liam sighed, “It’s never gonna be easy with us, y’know? There’s always going to be shit. Stalkers or fans or execs or filming schedules or...” He frowned, “On top of that... I just... don’t know if I’m a good boyfriend. And after everything you’ve been through, some of which you thought I did to you, I don’t want to saddle you with me like a burden.”

“Why would you say that? That you’re not a good boyfriend?” Theo sounded exasperated, but softened somewhat. “Look, if you’re pulling an ‘it’s not you, it’s me’...”

“No, that’s not what i’m doing. I’m not...” He shook his head, trying to think of words. Why was he so stupid? This was why he wasn’t a writer, he supposed. “I just mean... I’m paranoid and unstable and I never sleep through without nightmares that wake you and... you’ll never have real privacy or a real life with me and...” He took a shallow breath, “And the IED...”

Theo swallowed, “So what are you saying? You want to break up or...?”

Liam shook his head, eyes wide. “Fuck no. God, I’m so bad at this.” He rubbed his hands over his eyes, desperately searching for some cohesive thought. “No. What I’m saying, I guess, is that... I want this. You. The whole... y’know, boyfriend experience. But... I need to give you an out because... being with me is fucking awful. I don’t even like being with me.”

Theo sighed. “You’re a shit communicator, Dunbar.” He reached out again, resting his hands on the sides of Liam’s neck and running his thumbs along his cheekbones. “I don’t care. I don’t care if I’m a stupid twitter tag or if people come after me or if I have to stay on set all the time. You’re right, I think celebrity, as a concept, is stupid. But... you’re not.” He paused, leaning forward, pressing his lips to Liam’s, gentle and affectionate. “And I have waited... so, so long to be able to do this and I’ll be damned if I let your low opinion of your own worth ruin this for me.” He kissed him again, once more, then twice. “So congrats, Dunbar. You’ve got a boyfriend.

“That was such an aggressive way to label yourself as my boyfriend.” Liam answered, though he was only barely restraining his own giggles as he said it, which sort of took any real judgement from the words.

He grinned, “But did you like it though?” He asked, and Liam was glad to have that more playful side of him back. Even since the beginning, since Theo hated him, there were always glimpses of this Theo. Nice and supportive Theo, who needled Liam rather than criticised him.

"More than I care to admit." Liam said softly, licking his lips half heartedly just for something to do, and because his mouth suddenly felt dry.

"Good to know." Theo was grinning, and there was something flirtatious in his eyes, and Liam realised that he had absolutely lost this battle, because they had stopped talking about what he was trying to talk about.

He pushed back until his back was against the sink, before he jumped up onto it, just to put a bit of space between himself and Theo, who was coming dangerously close to distracting him completely.

Theo followed, and Liam figured he'd better get in what he wanted to say quick.

"I'm doing it, Theo." Liam said. "I'm done with this hiding shit. You'll be there with me, and I won't be running off this time. I'll be at your side."

Theo was walking slowly forward, and he pushed Liam's legs apart, moving to stand between them, far closer to Liam, crowded up in his space.

"You can't distract me out of this, Theo." Liam said quickly, trying hard to avoid Theo's eyes before he lost this battle altogether, as he knew he would.

"Are you sure?" Theo asked, and his voice was nearly a whisper, his hands resting at Liam's hips. "I think I can."

Liam swallowed, averting his eyes, "I've already sent out a text to all my close friends."

The mood was broken. Theo took a step back, his brows raising. "You did what?" He asked, frustrated, "We went through all this shit to make sure nobody had your number... Now you're just giving it away?"

"I told you, I'm done hiding."

"That doesn't mean you have to be stupid, Liam."

Liam sighed, "Done hiding, Theo. You're literally always by my side. Even if they can do creepy shit, they're not going to get to me. And besides, I'm sick of this. I'm sick of not being able to contact my friends or of not being able to leave this room or my trailer. I can't do it anymore. If something's going to happen, I'd rather it just... happen."

"So you've got a death wish now, is that it?" Theo demanded.

"A death wish?" Liam asked, brows furrowing, "Do you think they're going to try to hurt me?"

Theo ran a hand over his face, and he looked really tired suddenly. He began pacing, leaving the bathroom altogether and walking through Liam's barely touched but too large bedroom.

Liam followed him, standing in the doorway of the ensuite with his arms folded, waiting for Theo to address what he'd just said. If Theo thought they were going to try to hurt him, so be it, but Liam at least wanted to know. Honestly, at this point, he'd take that. At least it would be over then. Hell, he'd invite the stalker to his birthday party if it meant this being over.

"Honestly?" Theo asked, frowning, "Yeah, I do. I didn't at first, I thought they just wanted your attention. Maybe they did then. But the way this has all escalated, with the shower and the photos of you and Brett... honestly, at this point, the vibe I'm getting is... if they can't have you, no one can."

Liam blinked, took a sharp breath, and tried to figure out how to process that. "Okay."

"Okay?!" Theo asked, finally stopping his pacing to stare at Liam. "What do you mean okay?!"

"I mean... okay. If they're going to hurt me, I'd rather they just... do it already." Liam said with a shrug.

Theo just blinked at him, like he couldn't understand what Liam was saying to him. "You what?"

"I don't care anymore, Theo. They've-- they've drugged me, taken photos of me, watched me in the shower, followed my parents, found my childhood home..." He could feel emotion creeping into his chest and he didn't want it. He just wanted to be free of this. To make his peace with it. "If they're going to hurt me, so be it. I just want it to happen already."

"Liam..." Theo stared at him, his lips parted, looking stricken. He seemed like he had a thousand other things to say, but he couldn't put them into words. He just stared.

"Look, I know. I know how it sounds. Like I have a death wish or whatever. But... look, I just... I can't do it, Theo. It's been months. I've been patient, and I've been quiet, and I've treated my own friends like suspects. I don't want it anymore."

Theo finally rounded on Liam, coming closer and grabbing him by the shoulders. "No." He said flatly.

"No?" Liam repeated, brows raised.

"No." He moved forward, his voice a little more insistent. "No, you're not allowed to get hurt."

"I'm not allowed...?" Liam repeated skeptically, brows raising.

"You're not allowed." He rested his hands on the sides of Liam's face, his eyes wide, staring into Liam's like he was trying to hypnotise him or something. Liam was caught there in his gaze, left making note of how green they looked today, how pretty. "I did not spend like, five fucking years holding a candle for you to turn around and get yourself fucking killed when I finally have you."

"That is an extremely aggressive way to say you care about me." Liam hedged.

Theo looked at Liam like he might murder him himself, before backing him up until he was back against the sink again, his jaw clenched, expression like ice. "Don't you fucking get it, Liam?" He asked, his hands on either side of him, keeping him in place. "I would never forgive myself if you got hurt. I would never get over you."

"Theo..." Liam was suddenly feeling a little bit more emotional about the whole thing. If he was being honest with himself, right up until now, he hadn't really realised how much Theo cared. Or even that he genuinely cared at all.

Theo swallowed, shaking his head. "No." He turned and stalked off, leaving Liam alone in the room.

*

"So you're really going to do this?" Mason asked, brows raised. "Have a party for your twenty-first? Even after everything?"

"I mean, yeah." Liam said with a nod. "What are they gonna do, kill me?" He laughed it off like it was nothing, but the thought had occurred to him.

"That's not funny, dude." Scott said, shaking his head.

"It's not a joke." Liam said with a shrug. "I still don't know if they love me or hate me. I'm no closer to knowing who it is or why they're doing it. And like, I'm not going to spend the rest of my life shut up in a bedroom with a bodyguard."

Although, really, the thought of being alone with Theo wasn't so bad, he wasn't going to say that.

"So... are you at least going to hire extra security?" Scott asked, his forehead wrinkling with concern. Liam didn't like that look on his face, he was used to Scott's easy smiles and jokes. Maybe that was part of why he'd cut them off the way he did -- he hated to see them worried about him.

"Probably not." Liam admitted with a shrug. "Theo will be by my side."

Scott frowned, and exchanged a look with Mason. "Theo's just one man, Liam. He's fallible, we've already seen as much with the photos." He paused, "You should hire extra security."
Mason was nodding along, and Liam sighed heavily. "I've told you all, I'm done with this. You're all going to be around too, nothing's going to happen to me."

Mason sighed, shook his head. "Have you gone from paranoid to full on death wish...?"

Liam frowned, "I'm not going to fucking die, guys. It's fine. We've rented out a bar, we're just going to go drinking. We'll keep everything closed off, it'll only be people we know. The house, the bodyguards and people from set. It's going to be fine."

Scott sighed, "That's a nice thought, Li, but whoever it is has gotten close to you before, who's to say they won't find a way in?"

Liam shook his head, "You sound like Raeken."

"Good to know your bodyguard isn't as stupid as you are then." Brett cut in. Liam hadn't noticed him joining the conversation, but he wasn't surprised. That was the thing about a shared house, he supposed, nothing was ever really a secret.

"Wait-- does that mean you gave... everyone in this house and the entire cast and crew your number?" Mason cut in, his eyes wide and worried.

"Okay, look, I was just coming over here for help in planning, but if you guys are going to grill me too, I'll find someone else. I'm sure Peter would help me."

After all, it was his idea for Liam to have the party in the first place.

Mason sighed, "Liam, we're just trying to help you."

Liam nodded his head, "Yeah, I know." He cleared his throat and turned to go, "I'm going to find Hayden and Corey."

He walked off, finding his other friends, knowing they would be somewhat more on his side about all of this.

And he was right-- both Hayden and Corey were a little more excited about it, agreeing that Liam couldn't stop living because of this. He wondered if they had a different perspective based on their own fame, that maybe they understood a little better how all of this affected Liam.

"Thank god. I was damn sick and tired of everyone taking Theo's side."

Corey raised his brows, "I'm guessing erring on the side of caution then?"

Liam nodded, "Well, yeah. I mean I guess that's his job." He couldn't believe part of him was actually defending Theo after their last argument, but he couldn't help it. Theo was his boyfriend, and they spent all their time together lately.

Hayden shrugged, "Well, job or not, it's just another night. Besides, Boyd and Erica will be there too. And you can always get security for the door too to make sure no one who isn't on the list gets in."

It took Liam a while to get to everybody, to talk to them about it all. He was right that Peter was the most helpful with planning, helping him decide what cap to put on alcohol, if any. Helping him to decide if there would be restrictions on photo taking and sharing. Liam supposed he'd been in the business longer than any of them, and probably knew better about this kind of thing.

"Am I making a mistake?" Liam asked Peter quietly. He was older than them all, in the best position to give Liam a real, informed answer.

"Don't know." Peter told him slowly, shrugging his shoulders. "No way to know. What I do know is that I've had stalkers before. Had someone break into my apartment and try to maim me once too-- had to restrain them until the cops came. It's really hard to know what's a mistake at the time. But you're only twenty-one once, kid. And I do think it'd be a shame to miss it."

He patted Liam on the shoulder, as if to comfort him, and Liam tried to make sense of that. It was, in a way, very similar to what Liam had already been thinking. If something bad was going to happen, he'd rather just know already.

*

It didn't take Liam any time at all, really, to get a few shots in.

He was pleasantly buzzed, feeling safe enough, surrounded by people he liked, if not people he trusted.

The room was full of people, music was blaring, and though Theo had barely spoken to Liam since he brought it up, Liam didn't really know what he was meant to do. Pretend he was fine with just hiding in forever?

If he didn't know any better, part of him might be suspicious of Theo all over again. Was he trying to trap him away? But no, Liam reminded himself. He trusted Theo. He wasn't going down the same paranoid rabbit hole. He was living, even if it killed him.

It was Corey who pulled him away from the bar first, grabbing him by both hands, pulling him to the dance-floor and swinging him around. Mason almost certainly didn't approve of Corey being in favour of the evening, but Liam didn't care at that moment. Maybe he'd feel bad later, but Corey was on his side, and so Liam was more than happy with that.

At some point they were joined by Hayden, who took one of each of their hands. They spun around in a circle like children, and at some point he could feel flashes on his face. He didn't pay it any mind though-- he was almost sure it was someone from set using the pictures as a future promo for them, and if it wasn't, so be it.

He could see Theo watching when they stopped for a moment. He was clearly completely sober, and this time, Liam realised, he wasn't taking his eyes off the slightly shorter man.
Shouting for an open bar had been stupid, maybe, but Liam didn't care. He really didn't. He was just sick of all of this. He would see his parents another evening, but they had been laying low for a while, only visiting him when things were quiet with filming. They always saw less of each other during filming though, that was nothing new.

At some point, he was handed another drink by Josh, and he took it willingly. The man leaned into his ear so as to be heard above the noise, "Don't know you well enough to get a present, so I thought I'd get you a drink. Happy birthday, Spiderman."

"Thanks," Liam shouted back, inviting the taller man to join them to dance. He obliged, and Liam downed the drink quickly, setting it down and returning to dance.

There were people he didn't know as well, but mostly, he spent the night dancing with his closer friends. Corey and Hayden. Mason and Scott. Allison, Brett and Matt.

Theo never joined in, and Liam never asked him too. It was meant to be a secret after all, and Liam was meant to hate Theo, but part of him did wish he could pull Theo onto the dance floor, make him dance with Liam.

Josh had started something of a trend though, and people began giving Liam drinks throughout the night. He was fairly certain they were trying to take the edge off him, trying to let him have an actually fun evening after months of bullshit.

It was barely ten o'clock before Liam was bleary eyed and a little too giggly.

At some point or another, Scott pulled him aside to ask him if it was a good idea for him to be drinking so much, and that only pissed him off more, made him want to drink more. He was sick of being controlled, he was twenty-one, he should be allowed to get drunk and dance with his friends.

At another point, Theo actually grabbed him by the upper arm, pulling him away from his friends. "What are you doing, Dunbar?" He asked gruffly, looking around, "This isn't smart. You don't know who you can trust here, and you're not watching these drinks getting made."

"Whoever said I was smart?" Liam asked with a giggle, and Theo's expression dropped.

"You're drunk." He commented, "You're already drunk."

Liam just giggled again, raising his shoulders in a shrug. "And? You're here to keep me safe."

"Liam, you should not be drunk right now. You're not this stupid, what's gotten into you?"

Liam shrugged, shook his arm free of Theo's grip, and ran back off to continue dancing as if nothing had ever happened.

He returned to Brett, Matt and Allison, grabbing Brett's hands and spinning them once, twice, three times, before pulling Allison and Matt in as well.

He was sure Theo would be seething, and normally, he'd be concerned about that, but he was too drunk and too reckless to care.

It was another hour and too many more drinks when Liam turned and saw Josh and Theo talking.

Theo was his boyfriend, Liam knew that, and they were in the past. Still, it didn't fail to get on his nerves. If Liam was a little jealous when he was sober, he was a lot jealous when he was drunk.

Before he knew it, his legs were moving, and he was heading right in their direction. Some tiny part of his brain told him no, that this was a horrible idea, but that part wasn't currently winning, and with fire in his stomach, Liam basically jumped onto Theo, kissing him maybe too aggressively and in front of too many people, without giving Theo any warning or any chance to stop it.

It only took a second for Theo to get his bearings, shoving Liam off of him and stepping back. "You're drunk, Dunbar. Get a glass of water." He sounded dismissive and his eyes were angry, his jaw clenched, putting distance between the two. Liam understood what he was doing, he was trying to protect their lie, trying to protect Liam, but it still left him angry.

He knew they had been watched, knew people probably saw exactly what Liam had just done, but he couldn't be bothered to care. Theo had stalked off towards the bar himself, and Liam realised he had now been left alone with Josh, who stared at him with nothing but wide eyes and judgement.

Josh glared at him a moment longer, shaking his head, muttering something under his breath Liam didn't catch, and then walking off after Theo like some protective boyfriend.

Liam felt anger flare up in his stomach, but he didn't really react. He didn't do much at all, except return to his friends. Everyone just looked confused, and Liam shrugged, made some throwaway remark about how he had just been fucking with Theo, then returned to dancing. He could tell no one was one hundred percent sure they believed him, but nobody argued either.

Hours later, when he was in his bed, Liam spent hours sitting up in bed, drunkenly waiting for Theo to come and see him, to let him explain.

He never showed up.

Chapter Text

When Liam woke up, it was to banging on his door.

His head pounded, and based on the light streaming in his window, it was very probable that it was already late afternoon.

He groaned, put the pillow over his head, and tried to return to sleep, but the banging didn't stop, and Liam finally heard, "Li, it's Mason, we have to talk. Like now. I know you're awake."

Liam didn't know how Mason knew he was awake, but he must have some sort of superpower, because Liam got up and made his way towards the door.

He pulled it open, rubbing his eyes, sure he looked an absolute disaster, and Mason and Scott were both standing there, pushing their way into his room and then closing the door.

"What's going on?" Liam asked, a little more concerned by the urgency they both seemed to share.

"How stupid are you?!" Mason asked, and Liam flinched, having not heard Mason so angry at him in a long time.

Liam just shrugged, not understanding what was going on.

"You're dating your freaking bodyguard, Liam? Really? And you didn't think to tell anyone that?"

Liam blanked, confused. "What do you mean? No, I'm not?" He was too taken off guard to fully argue, because he didn't even know what they knew or how.

Scott sighed, pulling out his phone and pulling up an article on some gossip site, showing Liam. Pictures. Pictures of their conversations, leaked. Things they'd said to each other. Some of it somewhat dirty, most of it just banter and jokes about them being together.

At one point Liam had sent Theo a selfie, nothing weird, just of his outfit, and that was there too, proving somewhat conclusively that it was real.

"I..." Liam began, but realised he had nothing to say.

"And then to kiss him in front of everyone at that stupid party?" Scott finally added, seeming more tired than angry, as if Liam was his child that had done something stupid again. "You realise you probably prompted this? That they probably went digging because of what you did?"

He was right, of course. Liam had probably caused it. He'd been left alone for a while now, let go. But now it had started again, and he had really no doubt that it was the stalker who'd done it, because who else even would?

"Where's Theo?" Liam asked, getting to his feet and making his way to the door.

"He went out." Mason answered flatly. "Not sure he wants to talk to you right now."

"Went out where? When?" Liam asked, his brows furrowing in concern as he made for his phone.

Scott snatched it out of his hand, "Absolutely not, Liam. You are not using that phone again, someone's clearly had access to it." He turned it off quickly, chucked it onto the bed away from Liam.

"Why didn't you tell us, Li? I get that you don't trust anyone, but..."

They exchanged another look, and Liam was frowning. "But what?"

"But why do you trust him? I mean, he's had you closed off from everyone for over a month, and now that we all know that, he's just up and disappeared." He frowned, "Isn't that... worrying to you?"

Liam's expression fell. "What...?" He asked, confused.

"Does anybody know?" Mason asked, "Your parents, your mom? Does anybody know that you've been sleeping with a guy you barely know while you've been being stalked? I mean, have you even been hearing from the stalker since you got together?"

Liam could feel the shock settling over him, the paranoia working its way back into his mind. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be possible. Theo wouldn't do all this to him... would he?

"Why?" Liam asked slowly, looking up at the two of them. "Why would he do this?"

"Hasn't he been obsessed with you since high school? Like by his own admission?" Scott suggested, frowning.

"You recommended him to me, Scott." Liam protested, frowning.

"Yeah, I did." He agreed, "And honestly, I feel sick about it. But I didn't know... I didn't know he hadn't gotten over all that shit."

Liam frowned, shaking his head. "I don't buy it, I'm sorry."

Mason sighed, "Well, everybody else is... suspicious."

"Everybody else?"

"We've all discussed it, Liam. It's like three in the afternoon and this shit dropped first thing this morning." Scott said slowly, "We were just sent in to talk to you about it... people figured you'd trust us more."

"Give me my phone, Scott." Liam said, a frown etched into his face.

"That's just stupid, Liam."

"I don't care, give me my fucking phone." Liam snapped, nodding down at it. "I'm not going to turn on him without speaking to him first, alright? What I did at the party, that was my fault. He probably knows everyone will suspect him, that's probably why he left."

"Yeah, I agree that's why he probably left." Corey chimed in from the doorway. Liam's head snapped over. He must've forgotten to lock it once they came in. "It's just that... if he left because we suspected him, that doesn't disprove that we're right to..."

Liam just shook his head, "This isn't a fucking democracy, okay? It's my relationship, and I'm not going to listen to more of this shit until I talk to him."

Mason sighed, "Okay, yeah, fine." He got to his feet, pulling his own phone out of his pocket. "But don't use yours. It's obviously bugged. Unless you think it's me, in which case..."

"I don't think it's you. Thank you." Liam softened a little on Mason. His best friend since they were five, of course he'd be worried. Especially considering Liam didn't tell him about any of this. Liam usually told him everything. "Okay," He turned back around, "Everybody out. I need to call Theo."

They all left, with varying degrees of frustration on all three faces.

Liam closed the door behind them, then locked it.

He called Theo from the number in Mason's phone, waiting, kicking the side of his bed nervously as he waited.

It rung out, going to a blank message bank.

Panicking, Liam dialled again. Though everyone else suspected it was him, Liam was more concerned at the possibility that someone might have taken him.

On the third ring, Theo picked up the phone, and Liam heard a breathy, "What?"

It honestly hadn't occurred to Liam that he would think it was Mason calling him until just then, but he cleared his throat. "Theo?"

"Liam." His tone of voice changed completely, into one of blind relief, and Liam couldn't help but smile.

"What the hell is going on?" Liam asked slowly, "Where did you go?"

"You're a dumbass, you know that?" Theo said softly, but there was a chuckle in his tone, and a fondness, and Liam didn't think he was really mad. "I didn't do it, Li."

"I don't think you did," Liam said softly, shaking his head. "Why would you leak those texts?" He paused for a moment, before adding, "I'm sorry. For what I did at that party. I was drunk and stupid."

There was a breath and then Theo spoke again, "It's okay. It was kind of cute that drunk Liam didn't want to go hit on anyone else, he just wanted to stop me talking to my ex with a kiss."

"Wow, it's super embarrassing when you say it like that."

"It's super embarrassing no matter how I say it."

Liam smiled, then spoke again, "Has the stalker contacted you?"

"Uh... yeah," Theo admitted softly into the phone. "Just said, uh, 'Still Mine'."

Liam sighed, staring at the ground for a moment, "Where are you? I'll come meet you. I need to get out of this house."

"I'll text you the address." Theo said slowly, sighing. "It's my friend's apartment. She'll give us space."

Liam hung up the phone and got to his feet, getting dressed and getting his keys. He rarely ever drove himself anywhere, but like hell was he letting anyone else get in a car with him right now. Bad driver or not-- at least he didn't have to worry about someone being alone with him.

Liam walked downstairs and found almost the whole house watching him. "I'm going out." He told him, rearing for a fight if need be.

"Why would you do that...?" Hayden asked with a sigh.

"Because I am a fully grown adult who does not have to explain myself." He said with a sarcastic smile as he walked to the fridge to get water first.

Brett spoke up, "Will you at least take someone with you?"

"Nope." Liam answered flatly, walking directly out the door without looking back, water bottle in hand.

*

Liam knocked on the door, swallowing hard. He had been aggressively ignoring his phone, not wanting to see any messages or anything that was undoubtedly going on on social media.

The woman who opened the door looked intimidating at first. Tall and thin, with dark hair and narrowed dark eyes. She gave Liam a look like she was totally unimpressed to be seeing him.

“Uh, hi. Do I have the right place?”

She stepped aside to let him in, nodding.

“Ease up, Tracy, it’s not his fault.” He heard Theo say from further into the room.

“Hi,” He held a hand out, “I’m Liam.”

“Yeah, I know you.” She answered with raised brows, “Theo’s told me all about you.” She seemed to dislike him already, so Liam couldn’t imagine it was a good thing. He turned to face Theo, brows raised.

“I told you, Tracy, the high school thing didn’t happen like I thought it did.” Theo filled in, and Liam nodded, suddenly realising what was happening here.

“That doesn’t make a lot of sense, T. He put the note in your locker. You saw it.”

Liam sighed, "I probably did," He jumped in. "Someone probably told me to put it in a locker, and I just did it. But I also don't even remember Theo from high school, and I sure as hell never read any note from him." They'd been through this already, but Liam couldn't help but defend himself. Those same kids pulled the same kind of shit on me and I have the hospital records to prove it."

She eyed him, as if trying to decide whether or not she believed what he was saying, then finally nodded. She finally took his hand, which was still hanging their limply while they argued, and he shook her hand.

Theo got to his feet, walking over. He looked probably the most tired Liam had ever seen him, wearing what looked like old sweats and an oversized t-shirt, his hair was a mess. As if he'd woken up and immediately gotten in his car. He probably had.

"Tracy's my best friend." Theo explained. "She's also a bodyguard. That's how we met. I wasn't sure where else to go, but I had to get out of there."

"Did they say something to you?" Liam asked, a deep frown settling over his features.

"They didn't have to. I could see it in their faces as soon as I got up this morning. They think I manipulated you into us getting together."

Liam sighed and Tracy shook her head, looking probably equally annoyed as Liam felt. "That's stupid. It was me who made moves on you. Like, more than once. And why would you leak the messages?"

"Because you were being all reckless again." Tracy filled in, like it was obvious. Theo and Liam's heads both snapped towards her, brows furrowed. She raised her hands in surrender. "I'm not saying I think you did it, obviously, I'm just saying that's probably why they think you did it. To scare Liam into acting scared again. Being alone with you."

Liam could feel his heart drop. He was happier when he couldn't think of any valid reason for Theo to have done this, and maybe Theo sensed that, because he reached out a hand towards Liam. "Hey. Let's talk properly, okay? Just us."

"Alright, I'll fuck off." Tracy said with a casual nod, turning and walking off down to the hall into what Liam assumed was a bedroom, before closing the door. Liam just stood awkwardly in her living room, staring at Theo, trying to figure out what to do next.

"No more spiralling," Theo said quickly, taking Liam's hands and leading him towards the couch, before sitting himself down and pulling Liam down with him. "Tell me what you're thinking."

"First of all, I'm... I'm really, really stupid." He said slowly, the emotion finally starting to overwhelm him, now that he was sitting here opposite Theo. "I can't believe I did that last night and... and us texting like that and... even having the party at all..."

"Hey," Theo's voice was gentle and he shifted closer towards Liam on the couch, resting a hand on his cheek. "You're not stupid. You're at the end of your rope, and you're totally justified in being. You probably shouldn't have kissed me in front of everyone like that, but..." He paused, smiling a little, "It was kind of nice not to have to hide it for once."

Liam gave a nervous little smile, "You still think I'm an idiot, though?"

"Well, yeah. Because you are." Theo nodded, but there was still a smile pulling at his lips. "So you don't... think it was me?"

Liam sighed, "Honestly? I really don't know anymore. About anyone, I just..." He shrugged. "I don't know what else I can even do at this point. I'm just... tired of thinking. People know now. So what?"

Theo nodded slowly, his hand returning back to Liam's hands. "That's... really fair. But it wasn't me. I just left because I... didn't know how you'd react. Or how anyone else would react."

Liam swallowed, understanding Theo's logic, "That makes sense." He said softly, "I hate that you felt like you had to go though. We should have all at least had a conversation. They have no right to just decide that it's you without proof. Just because they didn't know we were together."

"They... were trying to protect you." Theo tried quietly, and it brought a frown to Liam's face. The fact that he was defending people who had made him feel like he couldn't stay in what was, at this point, his own house wasn't great. And while Liam agreed that they probably had good reasons, he still wasn't okay with it.

"I know. But we both should've been part of that conversation. My life choices aren't democratic and the way they all congregated was weird and gang-up-y."

“Why, uh, why did they think it was me? Out of curiosity.”

Liam shrugged, “They said, uh, you were using all this stalker stuff as an excuse to get me alone. That you convinced me not to tell anyone in my life we were together, so even though I was meant to be trusting no one, I was trusting you.”

Theo stared at their hands for a moment, not saying anything, and Liam had the instinctive urge to apologise or find some way to backtrack.

"I guess that's partly true." Theo said, "I was expecting you to trust me and not them." He sighed, "But not because I was trying to hurt you or because I don't want you to have friends or family. Because I know it's not me, but I can't say the same about any of them. So even though it might be none of them, of course I'm going to want you to not trust them. Firstly, because it's my job. Secondly, because..." He shrugged, "You already know, I've said it before. I'd never forgive myself if you got hurt."

"Do you have any idea who it is...?"

"I have... theories," Theo breathed, not meeting Liam's eyes, "Nothing provable."

Liam nodded slowly, and after a moment, he shifted closer on the couch, dropping his head into Theo's shoulder. "I feel like I'm losing my fucking mind," Liam admitted quietly, "And I know what I did was stupid. But part of me was kinda hoping something crazy would happen. that someone would come after me and then... even if it went south, at least I would know. At least I would know who I can't trust and I could have some semblance of my life back. Or even if I couldn't, I wouldn't have to keep going with this horrible limbo I'm in..."

Theo stared at him for a moment, as if he couldn't figure out what to say. His eyes were slightly narrowed, and Liam got the distinct sense that Theo was trying to figure him out. Like he was trying to understand something he couldn't wrap his head around. Liam was sure he was about to get a lecture, but then Theo's arms encircled him and tightened, pulling him closer. Liam kept his head on Theo's shoulder, shifting forward so that he was basically sitting in his lap.

"I'm sorry," Theo whispered, and Liam didn't realise he was crying until he felt that Theo's shirt was wet. "None of this is fair on you and I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I came in here like an asshole hating you. I'm sorry I haven't been able to stop this all from happening to you. I'm sorry your friends don't trust me. I'm sorry I convinced you to keep all this a secret. I really thought -- still think, honestly -- it was the best way. I'm so sorry. For all of this. Maybe we should go and see your parents for a bit, take a break from everyone. If you still want me as your bodyguard, that is."

From his spot on Theo's shoulder, Liam managed to mumble, "Promise me it isn't you. I know it's not, but just... please..."

Liam felt Theo's hands on his shoulders, pushing him back slightly so that he could look Liam in the eyes for a moment. Liam's eyes were bleary and suddenly very tired, and a pounding in his head reminded him he was still hungover.

"I promise you, hand on my heart, I would never do this to you." One of his hands left Liam's shoulders to wipe the tears off Liam's cheeks gently. "And if I ever catch who is doing this, I swear to god, I'll..." He trailed off, maybe sensing that it was the last thing Liam wanted to hear. A reminder that this person was dangerous. A reminder that Theo was putting himself in danger to protect him. A reminder that Liam had no idea how this would end, or if it ever would.

Liam nodded softly, choosing to believe Theo because he would be stuck if he didn't. After all, Theo should be the one person he trusted. He was his bodyguard, and they had spent all their time together for months now. Been a couple for a month or longer as it was.

"It's important to me you know though, I really don't want you to put yourself into danger just because you need this to be over. I understand that you're hurting and that you're desperate and over it, and I'm not going to get mad at you, because none of this is your fault... but... please don't get hurt trying to end this. Please."

Liam tried to nod again, but then he struggled with it. "I didn't consciously know that's what I was doing. I thought I was just... taking my life back, y'know? Refusing to be scared of some random unseen freak following me through the phone."

Theo pulled Liam back into a hug and Liam let his head rest a little more comfortable against Theo's shoulder. He couldn't deny, it was nice to be here. Safer. He felt less alone. He had probably needed this hug and comfort more than he'd even realised.

Liam had a habit of trying hard not to let on, even to himself, that he needed help. After growing up the way he had, with his father, the bullying, the IED, Liam had tried hard to learn how to be self sufficient. He had tried hard not to ever have to be vulnerable. It was what Theo had called him being fake. It was what Liam had called him being the kind of person people might actually want to be around.

"Hey," Theo got his attention again, pulling him back a little, his eyes (grey today) staring into Liam's intently. Liam just wanted to go back to his hug, wanted to be comforted and not talked to in a serious way. He'd had enough of this serious shit for a lifetime, and he was only twenty-one. "I'm serious. Please." He took a sharp breath, "I really hate doing shit like this, vulnerability hasn't ever been my strong suit..." He brushed a piece of Liam's disastrous hair back from his face, "I know we've had a couple of arguments lately... I think we're doing pretty well circumstances considered... but, anyway, I get so frustrated about you doing reckless shit because I want you to be safe. Because... I love you, Liam."

Liam opened his mouth to say something back, but Theo shook his head, cutting him off before he could speak.

"Don't answer me. Not right now, okay? I've liked you longer than you even knew me and... I know your emotions are in a super weird place right now. I don't want you to feel obligated, so I'd rather we wait until this is all over. And then... if you're feeling that way, then you can say it back."

"Okay," Liam said finally, after a moment of shocked thought, "But... can I say I still want you to be my bodyguard? Because... right now you're the only person I trust besides my parents and... I don't think they can guard me. I'm... considering also hiring someone to look after Mason. My parents already have protection, but... if there's anyone else I trust, it's Mase."

Theo nodded slowly, "I think that's a good idea. And if worst comes to worse, it'll be harder if -- and I don't think it is -- it does turn out to be him for him to keep going with it if he's being watched by someone you're employing."

Liam took a deep breath, "Okay. We need to tell the others that it's not you though, get them to simmer down. This is why I didn't want everyone to know about the stalker thing in the first place. Everyone's acting like my life is a fun mystery novel. I don't want it."

Theo cleared his throat heavily, and Liam realised he was worried about going back there. He couldn't blame him, but it was important to Liam to have Theo around. He didn't trust anyone else. He'd get a second bodyguard if it came to that, but no way in hell was he going to not have Theo around. Not after everything that'd happened. Not after the photos and the text leaks and the shower incident and the hair. There was too much fear, and Theo was the only thing that seemed to abate it in anyway. This was probably why Theo didn't want Liam to answer his confession, he realised. Because Liam was too dependent on Theo right now. Theo was right, his feelings weren't clear.

Though, honestly, he was pretty sure his feelings around Theo weren't going to be changing anytime soon.

"You're sure? If you did want to fire me, I would get it. Even if just for your friends' peace of mind. Or to get them off your case."

Liam shook his head, "Absolutely not. If it is you..." He shrugged, "Then you've had absolutely every opportunity to hurt me and haven't. And eventually you'll have to slip up. If it's not, which I'm pretty sure you're not, then I need you with me."

"Okay." Theo nodded slowly, and Liam thought he'd never seen him quite so off base. Introspective. He didn't seem anywhere near as in control as he usually was. "You should talk to your parents at least. They've probably heard by now."

Liam nodded, “Yeah, you’re right. Can I, uh, use your phone? Or Tracy’s maybe? I don’t really trust mine.”

Theo nodded, “Carrier pigeon only from now on.” He pretended to be serious, but there was a hint of a smirk on his face.

Theo got to his feet, walking to Tracy’s room and knocking on the door. She opened it a minute later, and Liam could hear faint music in the background. He decided if nothing else, he liked her music taste.

He returned a moment later with her phone, handing it to Liam. Liam, who still knew his mother’s number by heart, took the phone into a little study he had spotted on his way in, closing the door and sitting while he waited for his mother to answer.

“Liam, honey?!” He heard his mother's voice through the phone, paranoid. She didn’t even know the number he called from. He felt guilty suddenly, realising how worried she must be.

“Hi, Mom.” He said softly, a little sheepish. “I’m sorry for not calling yet this morning.”

“Oh, love, don’t be sorry.” She answered quickly, and Liam was sure he could hear David in the background asking to be put on speaker. “Are you okay though? Are you safe? Are you with Theo?”

“Please don’t start accusing him too...” Liam said softly, the exhaustion hitting him again like a ton of bricks.

It was David who answered this time, “Neither of us think that. We just didn’t want you to be without protection.”

“I’m with him, yeah.” Liam nodded, though he knew they couldn’t see it.

There was a moment and Liam thought they were probably conferring with each other. “Good.” Another pause, “How is he doing? Is he okay...? With... the leaked photos?”

“Photos? The texts you mean?”

“No, the photos?” She posed it like a question, then Liam heard a gasp, “When you called, I’d assumed you’d... seen them?”

“Fuck, Mom, you can’t just say that. What photos?”

“Language.” She sighed, but it lacked any anger. Maybe she felt like swearing too. “There’s one of you and Theo...” She cleared her throat, “Kissing. I think at the party last night, by the look of it. One of you in your trailer together, kissing. And uh, one of you and Brett.”

Ordinarily, Liam would be absolutely terrified of his mother seeing those photos. Feel guilty, concerned about what she might think. But Liam’s brain short circuited, and all he could think was, which photo of him and Brett?!

“I’m... what photo of me and Brett?” He asked, hearing his own voice crack with fear, “Am I... are they...?”

David spoke next, and he sounded concerned. Very concerned. “They’re decent.” He said quietly, “But you can see that...” He sighed, “It’s very... suggestive.”

“Fuck.” Liam whispered again, but no one called him on his language at this point. Probably his parents felt bad for him, and before he knew it, there were tears in his eyes again.

“Are you okay?” The question was quiet, and Liam wished he could hug his mother right at that moment. He missed being a kid, when his biggest problems were personal, and wouldn’t be seen by millions of people.

“Not really,” He admitted tiredly.

“Do you want to come stay with us for a bit? We can airbnb a place near your set and the four of us can spend some time together. It’ll be nice to get to know Theo again as your partner.” The offer was so gentle and kind that Liam felt another wave of guilt. This was all his fault. He should’ve never gone into acting at all, he’d brought this down on them all.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I’m sorry, Dad.” Liam mumbled. “I’m sorry for all this shit. I really am. I wish I could... undo it.”

“Honey, you said you’re with Theo now, didn’t you?” Jenna asked.

“He’s in another room, but yes. I could get him. Why?”

“Can you put me on the phone to him for one moment?”

“Oh... uh, yeah.”

Liam retreated from the library, instead going to see Theo again, who sat on the bed, scrolling through his phone with a stressed look on his face. No doubt he’d seen the photos too. Probably was seeing more of the internet’s reaction to it. Maybe even execs or Scott or Mason.

Theo took the phone that was offered, getting to his feet to pace. “Hello?”

Liam couldn’t hear what Theo heard, but he listened carefully for his reactions.

“Thank you for asking, Mrs Geyer.” A pause, “Jenna, sorry.” Theo chuckled, but somehow it managed to be charming, despite the obvious stress he was under. “I’m so sorry this has happened, I—“ Another pause, and Theo’s eyebrows knitted together, “No please, I—“ A beat, “It’s not about me—“ Then Theo just nodded, and Liam wondered how his mother had a knack for putting everyone right in their place. She was a mother through and through. “I will. Thanks, Jenna. David. We’ll see you soon, okay? I’ll keep in contact. Thanks. I’m so sorry again. I’ll do that right now.”

As soon as he hung up the phone, Theo took a few quick steps towards Liam and wrapped him up in a tight hug. “Your mom asked me to give you this.”

Liam’s eyes fluttered closed, settling into the comforting hug. “It’s okay, love,” He heard Theo whisper in soothing tones, stroking his hair gently with one hand. “I know it’s too much. I saw the pictures too.”

Liam just stayed in Theo’s arms, shoulders hunched, unable to process any of it. “I’m so sorry,” Liam mumbled. “It’s not just me. Your private shit is out there. Brett’s too. I’ve— I’ve pulled other people into this mess and hurt them and I—“

“Hey,” Theo’s tone was still soothing, comforting, “Hey, love, it’s fine, okay? I’ll be fine. So the world knows we’re dating now? And has... seen us make out? So what? Now everyone knows how lucky I am. Don’t ever apologise to me, none of this is your fault and you shouldn’t be feeling guilty.”

Liam delved into silence for a moment, allowing himself to soak in the love and comfort, before he had to pull back, his thoughts winding into a tight knot of a thousand different worries.

“I’ve gotta call Brett.”

“Liam...” He could hear Theo’s reluctance instantly.

“No.” Liam said quickly, “I have to. He didn’t ask for this either, and now he’s been dragged into it all. I have to apologise.”

Theo sighed, but nodded, pulling his own phone out and reading the number out to Liam.

A moment later, Liam was back in the study, hearing Brett’s seemingly unphased voice answering the phone. “Brett Talbot speaking, can I help you?”

“Brett? Hi, it’s Liam.”

“Oh... hey, man.” There was a reluctance to his tone that Liam had never heard before. Brett was casual, never bothered by anything. He’d never wanted to own Liam, and he’d never been shy about being seen with him. Liam worried something had changed.

“I just... I don’t know how else to say it, I’m really sorry.”

There was a moment’s silence, then Brett spoke again, “Not your fault. Not a big deal either. Not like I’ve ever been secretive.”

“Sure... sounds like you’re mad at me...?” Liam answered quietly, realising how fragile he felt about all of this.

“Promise I’m not.” Brett answered finally, but Liam felt like he was holding back, choosing his words carefully. “I’m... worried about you, dude. We’ve known each other a long time. Lived together before. I mean, you’ve known Mason since you were a toddler. Scott since school. Even Corey and Hayden, you’ve been around forever. If you didn’t trust... any of us enough to tell us about it...” Liam braced himself for the rant, the argument that he shouldn’t trust Theo over his far older friends, but instead, Brett said. “I’m worried about your mental health. Your entire support system has been thrown into doubt, and you can’t be coping well. I saw all your drinking last night... Have you been talking to a therapist? To anyone? I’d hate to see you... lose yourself in all this.”

Liam was stunned into silence for a moment, and then he almost smiled. It was sort of sad and empty, but it was a smile. “I... thank you, Brett.” He said softly, “I think I needed to hear that.”

“I mean... sure. I could’ve told you sooner, but I didn’t know how bad it was getting. You don’t have to tell me anything, ever. But I’m here. If you ever... need to. Judgement free zone. Like we used to have that fern we held when we had a really big secret, the fern of secrecy.” Liam actually laughed at that, he’d totally forgotten about their fern.

“I’ll uh, take you up on that. We’ll need to get another fern for the house. Just so we know when it’s serious shit.” Liam could hear the joke creeping back into his voice, and he was reminded why he and Brett had stayed so close even when Liam got busy. He made Liam happier.

“Okay.” Brett grinned, “And uh... tell Theo not to stress. Everyone’s calmed down over here, I think we all just... caught a glimpse into how violating all this must be for you and it shocked us all. But uh, no ones gonna go all Sherlock Holmes on him or anything.”

Liam smiled into the phone, “Thanks, Brett. I’ll let him know.” He paused, adding, “I really am sorry about the photos.”

“Nah.” Brett answered, “There are worse photos of me out there. Maybe we can make it an album cover or something. Steer into the skid, y’know?”

Liam grinned, “You’re right, that would be one way to turn this shit around on them.”

When they hung up their phones, Liam sat there a minute longer on his own, going to twitter on Tracy’s browser and checking the trending tags. Expectedly, a few were about him. ‘Thiamgate’ was trending first, which Liam thought was ridiculous, but what could he do about it? ‘Briam’ was also trending at about fifth, and then ‘Spider-man’ at number six. Liam braved a glance into the Spider-man tag; curious as to what it would say. Inside the tag, his heart actually soared a little. Mostly, it was people praising him. Saying it made them feel more validated in their identities, making edits of his spider-man with bi flags and fanart of him with a Theo that was dressed as another character from the franchise, or just kissing a Liam dressed in his Spider-man suit. As violated as he felt, Liam had once been angry at feeling forced to hide his bisexuality. Knowing how much it helped people, knowing it made them feel validated and excited about his character, eased the blow significantly.

He found that rather than the criticism or hate he’d been expecting, it was mostly wildly positive. People seemed enamoured with this proof. They theorised that Brett was his ex and that they’d ended on good terms but now he’d fallen for Theo. They theorised that Liam was dating neither, but was friends with benefits with both. They theorised that Liam was forced to hide it, and the leaks were by a fan. Some people even believed Liam himself leaked it because he felt trapped.

The narratives ran wild, and fans found things to extrapolate from. The picture he’d posted of the old black and white movie. People were using the famous ‘Gone with the Wind’ quote as a ship quote for him and Theo. ‘Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn’ was emblazoned onto pictures, art, gifs. He saw one of him and Theo wrapped in a pride flag, with the words underneath. It seemed as though they had taken it as some message to Hollywood. That he would be with Theo no matter what anyone else thought. Liam hadn’t meant anything like that, actually, but he could feel nothing but fondness for his fans and the way they leapt to defend and support him, even when he was pushed unceremoniously out of the closet.

When he returned to the living room, where both Tracy and Theo sat talking, Liam was feeling a little brighter.

“Looks like your stalker did you a favour,” Tracy commented casually, brows raised.

“How do you mean?”

“Well... people are... very excited.”

Theo half smiled, “Guess at least your fans like me?” He offered, though he looked wildly uncomfortable about the whole thing.

“Guess we’re a celebrity couple now, huh?”

Theo snorted, “Please. I am not a celebrity. That said, I spoke to Scott. Apparently higher ups want you to confirm it. They think it’ll appear problematic to deny it or ignore it now.”

Liam snorted at that, but nodded, “Okay, yeah, I can do that.”

Liam took his phone back, though he’d been avoiding using it. If he was posting something public anyway, who cared?

He moved to sit beside Theo, patting down his hair quickly and turning sideways to kiss Theo’s cheek as he snapped a photo. Typing in only the caption ‘guess the cat is out of the bag’, Liam posted the picture. His phone would blow up, his reputation would undoubtedly change. He’d been quiet online recently, which he was sure people would theorise about now. But mostly... Liam felt a little freer. No more secrecy. No more blackmail about Theo. Maybe some part of him had wanted this when he’d kissed him publicly.

“I’m sorry about all this.” Liam said softly, eyes locked on Theo for a moment.

“Forget about it, pup. I’m not sad the world knows. Whoever did steal that note in my locker... sucks to be them. They didn’t keep us apart.”

Chapter Text

“Hey, man,” Liam turned when he heard someone addressing him. He was the only one in the area, standing alone at crafty. He knew there were cameras, so it wasn’t like anyone could do anything to him here, and he knew Theo was taking a well deserved nap until Liam began filming again.

Josh was walking towards him, an apologetic sort of smile on his face, and Liam raised his brows. He had no intention of being a dick about it-- but he really had no idea what Josh’s issue with him at the party had been. Or if he still had one.

“Hi.” Liam answered. His tone was clipped. Liam had spent his whole career trying to be overtly nice to everyone, even if they didn’t deserve it. He had always prided himself on that, but now, with everything having gone to shit twelve times over, he just couldn’t bring himself to put on any facade of being a person who wasn’t tired and angry.

“Just uh, wanted to apologise for the other night.” He hadn’t actually done anything, only glared at Liam, but Liam was still surprised and confused. “I… didn’t realise you and Theo were an item. I honestly thought you were just… trying to get his attention off me.” He explained, “After what I heard about you in high school, I thought… I thought you were kinda the worst. Just… like, a narcissist, I guess.”

Liam started laughing, because there was nothing else he could do, and because the whole thing seemed hilarious. Of all the shitty things that had happened recently, he figured Josh owed him an apology the least.

“It’s fine, dude. In fairness… I was trying to get his attention off you. But, uh, not because I’m a narcissist. Because he’s been my boyfriend for over a month and uh, I’m a jealous drunk apparently.” He tried to brush it off, to make a joke out of it, and he saw Josh’s smile switch from a forced one, to a more genuine one.

“Yeah, well, that I can understand. I would’ve been the same way once.”

Liam cleared his throat. “Yeah, um… sorry about that.” He managed.

“Nah, it’s cool.” Josh admitted with a shrug, “I don’t think he ever really got over you anyway. Besides, I don’t think it would’ve worked out. We’d been together for years and it never really… felt real. Also, you didn’t make him take the job.”

“Well… thanks.” Liam said awkwardly, “Good to know you’re not out for my blood or whatever, since someone clearly is.”

“Yeah… sorry about that. Sounds like it sucks for everyone involved.” Josh seemed sympathetic, and Liam nodded his head.

“I’ll be honest, it’s not a… good time.” Josh laughed, and Liam could see why Theo liked him. He could see them being friends too, if not for all the awkwardness surrounding it all.

Josh laughed and then, after another moment of awkward silence. “Be good to Theo, yeah? He’s been through a lot in his life and… he’s trying.”

Liam nodded, and though he felt awkward about it, he understood where it was coming from.

*

“Cut. That is a film wrap on Corey Bryant.” Liam grinned, ruffling his friend’s hair when Stiles called out.

He had been offered to stop filming for a bit. To go home or on a holiday, but Liam had refused to take it. He was in a constant cycle of being terrified and then reminding himself he had every right to continue existing in the world, and he’d cycled back to feeling like he should be allowed to do his damn job.

“Shit, man, can’t believe I’m done another freaking Spider-man movie. I mean, I can’t say young me always dreamed that I was going to be Peter’s nerdy sidekick best friend, but I mean… I’ll take it.” Corey was joking and Liam grinned back at him, arms folded over his chest.

He was, blessedly, not wearing anything skin tight today, simply Peter’s typical jeans and t-shirt combination. His hair was swooped off in what was surely supposed to look like he hadn’t tried at all but had actually taken nearly an hour to achieve. It was so ridiculous to be standing here as he was, with Corey being wrapped and him still having a decent amount left to film, that Liam nearly pinched himself.

His life had spiralled out of control so quickly. He’d done an Avengers movie, a solo movie, and was nearly halfway done with a sequel. He had another Avengers movie to appear in soon too, and he had people constantly in talks with Scott about putting him in other things. Serious, period, comedy, kids, all sorts of shit. He’d established a life and a career for himself, and yet, he was hiding out in a web of drama and suspicion.

In a way, it was sort of a relief that everyone else was as weirdly suspicious as he was now, but in another, much more real way, it complicated things further. Most people had cooled down from blaming Theo, but some of his friends were still visibly suspicious of him, and some had taken to being suspicious of each other. If Liam felt like he was through the looking glass before, he really, really did now.

Liam had wrapped for the day too, and though Hayden was still around to film some of a nightmare sequence that Liam wasn’t needed for, the set was relatively quiet. Most of the day had been Liam and Corey, and that had been nice. Theo and Boyd were sitting together off at the back of video village, talking animatedly about whatever thing, and Liam was glad to see it. Not only did it leave him time to spend with his friend, it was just nice to see Theo relaxing again.

“Honestly, I’m surprised you’re still here and haven’t been kicked off yet for spending way too much time taking photos on set.”

“Please,” Corey argued with a scoff, “They love my photos, they boost interest and engagement or whatever.”

Liam grinned, “Yeah, they didn’t love it that time you accidentally posted a picture of my new suit. Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t get re-cast after that one. And yet I’m the one with the reputation for spoiling things. Typical.”

“Crafty?” Corey asked and Liam grinned, the two of them heading off for food.

It was the best part of his job, no doubt. All the free food. Particularly on days like today, where there really weren’t a lot of other actors around.

The two of them sat on the floor with a plate of sliders between them, cross legged and talking about filming and whatever other shit. Since Corey had started dating Mason and Liam had gone into weird forced isolation, they hadn’t had a ton of time together, particularly not the two of them.

“Can I ask you a question?” Corey was asking quietly.

“You just did, but go ahead.” Liam smiled, but had a feeling it was going somewhere he wouldn’t particularly like.

“Why didn’t you tell Mason? I mean, I get some of us, but… Mason? You’ve known him since you were five. I think it… hurt his feelings.”

Liam felt a pang of guilt. He’d been thinking about this a lot lately. He didn’t really have any great answer, except, “I am sorry for not talking to him about it, really. But he himself told me to treat him like a suspect too, and I… I guess I just felt so stuck. And scared.”

Corey sighed, “I get that, dude, I really do. I guess I just… I don’t know, he didn’t even say anything to me about it, he’s just been… really weird since it all came out. Like… quiet.”

With a frown on his face, Liam resolved to talk to Mason about it all.

“Thanks for telling me,” He said quietly, “I do feel bad. Really. It’s just… been really overwhelming.”

Corey nodded, “I know. And he’d probably be mad at me for bringing this up with you. It just… felt like the right thing to do. I mean, he really loves you and I would never wanna see your relationship go bad because of something like this.”

“I really love him too. He knows that, right?”

Corey just nodded in response, and Liam felt the weight of all of this too heavily. How distant he’d become from his own best friends.

When they were done talking, he made his way over to his trailer, Corey walking at his side, his own trailer further down than Liam’s and a little smaller. They had been a little more quiet since the more serious conversation, but Liam didn’t think it was a bad quiet exactly. More like, they didn’t normally speak seriously, and now that they had, they were both simmering back down from that.

He was expecting Theo to be there, but found the trailer totally empty.

He locked it up, went to get changed, carefully setting the clothes aside, and then lay down. Technically, he could go home, but he needed Theo, since he’d gotten a lift here and besides, he wouldn’t mind having a nap before he left, especially if Theo was still held up, likely dealing with some random thing because of him.

Hours later, Liam awoke to a knocking on the door.

It was Boyd, telling Liam that he and Corey were heading home, and asking if he was alright. He said he’d been expecting Liam to leave hours before, and that he couldn’t find Theo.

Liam got to his feet, looking around. It was dark out, and Liam had been there way longer than intended. He’d been exhausted, and he’d sort of assumed Theo would join him at some point, like he usually did.

“I don’t understand, weren’t you with him?”

Boyd nodded, “Yeah. He said he was going off to find you and then I didn’t see him again. Obviously he didn’t find you?”

“No.” Liam answered, getting to his feet. “Where have you looked?”

Boyd shrugged, “Honestly, not that many places. I figured with you was the most likely. But he’s not on the stage or in the offices either. I checked there.”

Liam nodded and got to his feet, moving around the trailer quickly to get whatever he might need. Before he got back, Boyd stopped him.

“I should come with you. Corey and I. You shouldn’t be wandering around here at night without your bodyguard.”

Liam nodded slowly. He might’ve been more tentative if it wasn’t two of them, but if it was Boyd and Corey, he figured it could only help.

Boyd pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Liam. “Pepper spray too. Just in case.”

Liam nodded his head, suddenly feeling like he was in the eye of the storm. Like shit was about to get way worse at any moment.

He couldn’t shake the jittery, teeth on edge feeling that something had happened to Theo. That something had gone seriously wrong, and though it helped to have other people with him, especially Corey, who he loved and, mostly, trusted, he was still terrified. He had tried calling Theo more than once, but to no avail, so the three of them set off looking for his bodyguard.

It took Liam ten minutes of rushed walking and calling out to say something he’d been considering for a while. “What if… what if he’s hurt because of me…?” He managed.

Corey and Boyd exchanged a look, and Liam frowned. He actually knew nothing about their relationship at all, and he realised he’d barely asked anyone else about their lives recently. He’d had his reasons for being distracted, but he still hated it.

“It’s possible.” Boyd finally managed, “But Theo is a trained fighter. He’s incredibly good at his job. If someone got to him, they would have to be someone capable of taking him down.”

“Don’t think like that,” Corey added, patting Liam on the shoulder. “We have no reason to assume the worst. Maybe he’s in a meeting and his phone died or something.”

It sounded unlikely, but Liam tried to cling to that hope anyway.

The more he tried to think where else Theo might be, the more sure he became that something bad had happened to him.

Especially after they found his car still parked on the lot, but no Theo. Almost everyone was gone, and most of the lot was empty, but there was Theo’s car.

“Fuck.” Liam mumbled and the other two began with platitudes Liam barely even heard.

He didn’t care. If Theo’s car was here and Theo wasn’t, something was seriously wrong. Liam took off running, determined to check the entire set again, determined to check everything.

Boyd went off on his own at one point to look for him, and Liam and Corey were left at Liam’s trailer to wait, in the hope that Theo might turn up there. At some point, and Liam truly couldn’t say how far later it was, he got a text from Theo.

‘i have to go. can’t do this.’

Liam didn’t buy it. Liam didn’t buy it for a second. For Theo to leave without properly contacting him? For him to bail so soon after telling Liam he loved him? For him to not even take his own car? There was no damn way.

He dialled Theo’s number, barely even considering, knowing he couldn’t let this drop until he actually spoke to Theo. Saw him. Had some proof it was real. Until then, he didn’t believe it. Maybe couldn’t believe it.

He called twice before Theo picked up, and when he did, he could hear heavy breathing.

“Liam.” Theo’s voice sounded ragged, like he’d been crying, and Liam thought his heart might simply fall out of his chest.

“Where the hell are you?! Are you hurt?! What does this text mean?!” Liam basically shouted, watching Corey, who stared back at him with concern.

“I can’t-- I can’t do it anymore. It’s too much. The suspicion, the fear. It’s like high school all over again. I can’t do it.”

“Wait--” Liam began, sounding desperate, but the phone cut out, and then Theo was gone. When he tried to call back, it went straight to a blank voicemail, indicating that the phone had been switched off. “Fuck!” Liam shouted, having to stop himself from throwing his phone.

He could feel something building in his stomach, a familiar churning anger that he hadn’t felt in full force since he was just a kid.

“Liam!” He heard Boyd call as he ran up behind Liam, and Liam turned, eyes widening. There in Boyd’s hands, were Theo’s keys. No Theo. Just his keys. “They were near the director’s office.” He explained, “I don’t know why. No sign of Theo or Stilinski.”

Liam snatched the keys, turning on his heel towards Theo’s car.

“Wait-- where are you going?” Boyd asked, the two other men running after him.

“I’m finding him.”

“You shouldn’t go off on your own.”

“I’m finding him. Period. You guys should go back to the house. Check for him there. Ask everyone else. Tell me if you see anything suspicious.”

He got into the car, not waiting for any answer before he turned the car on and drove off. He didn’t even know where he was going to go, but he figured at least driving around looking was better than nothing.

At some point, Liam called Scott, the phone on loudspeaker as he drove. Scott was the only person he could think of who might have a better idea than Liam where Theo would go if he truly was leaving.

“Liam?” Scott sounded concerned right off the bat, and Liam realised everyone else probably knew by now. Or at least, had noticed their absence.

“Is Theo with you?” Liam began, panic creeping into his voice, completely evident in his tone.

“No?” Scott was speaking fast, answering quickly, and Liam was glad. “Why? Is he not with you? Where are you? Are you safe?”

“I’m fine, I’m in his car. Have you heard from him? Did he message you or anything?”

There was a deep sigh into the phone, and then Scott said, “Yeah, actually. I got a text from him telling me he was leaving. I didn’t think he would do it right now though… I thought he would talk to you, quit or something… actually look after you, not just abandon you unprotected on set.”

“I don’t think he abandoned me on set. He sounded wrong and-- and he said something about it being like high school, but that didn’t really make sense, because in high school we both got messed up and… I got framed. Why would he say that?”

There was another sigh on the other end of the phone and Liam frowned, “What, Scott? You clearly have thoughts, tell me.”

“Look, I… Theo is someone I care about, really. We’ve been friends for a long time, he spent a lot of time with my family after his parents… well, y’know. But him flaking out the way he did… with texts to us… Maybe he’s just not reliable, Liam.”

Liam was shaking his head, despite knowing that Scott couldn’t see him. “He wouldn’t do this to me, Scott, I don’t believe it.”

Scott was quiet for a moment, “Liam, I’m sorry. Really, I am. Come home and we can talk. If you’re still worried, we can call the cops or something. But you’re scaring me. You sound… like you did when you were a teenager. When you weren’t coping.”

Liam thought he was right, he was basically shaking, struggling to control the feeling of anger and fear building in his chest. “No.” He said quickly, “No, I’m not going to do that. I’m going to find him, I’m not coming back there.”

“Liam--”

“Don’t, Scott. He’s my boyfriend, I love him, I’m not going to just accept that he left without his car or keys. Especially when what he said doesn’t make any sense.”

“I’m sorry-- but I have to say, part of me still thinks it’s him. Maybe he knew people were getting too close. After everything with it leaking that you were dating…”

“Scott-- you recommended him to me. Why the hell would it be him? You were the one who trusted him to look after me in the first place!”

“Yeah, but I thought he was over all that shit from high school. I mean, it was sort of pathetic and creepy then, but it’s clear he never moved on. I mean, ‘seeing you is the only reason I come to school’? Who says that to someone they’ve never even met?”

Liam instinctively went to argue, but then something clicked in his mind. “Wait a second. Scott… How do you know what it said in the letter?”

“Huh? Theo told me.” Scott answered, as if it was nothing.

“I… don’t believe that. Theo told me he wrote that note because he felt like he couldn’t talk to anyone else. And he hasn’t even told me what that note said, why would he tell you?”

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment before Scott answered, “Li, he basically lived with me, of course he told me. Don’t be ridiculous.”

Theo had told him on the phone that it was like high school. Liam thought that made no sense because they both knew that high school wasn’t either of their mistakes. That they’d been set up to hate each other, manipulated. Kept apart. Unless Theo had been trying to tell him something when he said that. Trying to signal something. Unless… the same person who set Theo up in high school was keeping them apart now.

Liam thought, really thought for a moment. It took a beat too long for him to figure out what the realisation had conjured up, but then he realised. He remembered that note in that locker now. It was Scott who asked him to put it there. He told him it was a surprise for the kid his family looked after. Liam had trusted Scott, he hadn’t even read the letter, hadn’t even opened it. It was Scott who set Theo up.

“It’s you, isn’t it?” Liam asked, his voice switching from jittery to a quiet, terrified calm.

The phone went dead.

Chapter Text

Once Liam realised, things started to settle in his mind, become clearer.

Scott had access to all his information. To his parents, to his childhood home, to his bank account, his phone bills. His social media. He controlled everything.

It was him who had set up the note incident. He had known Theo would hate Liam all along. He had set up this poor kid to get beat to shit. For what? To keep him away from Liam?

When Liam had been sixteen and Scott had been… twenty-four. Had it started then? How long had it been going on?

Liam felt like vomiting. There were still things he couldn’t understand. How Scott had known about Liam showering. How he had gotten his new number. The sweater. Why did it suddenly start when it did?

He pulled the car over, calling Mason, who was first on his speed dial anyway.

Mason answered immediately, “Liam? Corey told me, where are you?!”

Liam didn’t answer his question or wait any, he just breathed out. “It’s Scott. Scott did all this. I don’t know how yet, but it’s Scott.”

A moment of silence, “Liam, are you sure? We’ve known him forever.”

“It’s Scott, Mason. Trust me.”

“Okay, come home, we’ll call the police and--”

“Hell no. I think I know where they’ll be, I’m going.”

“Liam, that’s probably what he wants you to do.”

Liam knew that-- he just didn’t care. “I’m going, Mason.”

“Wait, Liam, at least--”

Liam wasn’t listening. He hung up and took off driving again, knowing he was probably speeding.

Maybe he’d get caught. Worst that could happen was he could convince a cop to come with him to the apartment, which honestly seemed kind of like a good idea.

Though, as was his luck, the one day he broke the law, he didn’t pass a single cop, instead getting caught in traffic. At one point, he was nearly ready to abandon the car and run, but he knew he would get there no faster doing that, he was too far away.

It took too long for Liam to get to the apartment complex, and when he did, he thought he was going to implode. He had never been the most emotionally regulated person, and he was more of a mess now than he ever had been before. He figured that that wasn’t going to make any of this any better.

Still, as soon as he got into the apartment building, he ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He stopped outside his own apartment, knowing Mason was right.

He was meant to come here. He was meant to look for Theo here. He had no idea what he was going to find on the other side of the door, but he had to stop for a second, pause to take a breath, to mentally prepare.

When he opened the door, everything was quiet, and dimmed by the closed blinds. It took his eyes a second to adjust as he walked in, slow and tentative.

The first thing he saw was Theo, unconscious on his couch. He could see blood on the side of Theo’s head, but he had no idea how bad it was. He would’ve panicked far more if he couldn’t see the rise and fall of Theo’s chest where he lay. He couldn’t see Theo’s hands, and he imagined they must’ve been tied in some way, that or he’d fallen in some awful way.

He looked around, for some sign of Scott, but found none. The hallway to the bedroom was drenched in shadow, and Liam wouldn’t have been able to see if Scott was there.

He took a few quick steps forward, eyes darting around as he did, before moving to kneel beside Theo, trying to get a look at his forehead, at how he’d been hurt and whether or not it was serious. He needed to wake him up so they could get the hell out of here. Liam may play a superhero, but he wasn’t one, and he had no idea what to do in this situation. There was more blood than Liam knew what to do with, and he had no idea how hard Scott must’ve hit Theo to do this. How long Theo had been out. He had no idea if he was hurt in any other way. All he knew was Theo looked pale and his breathing seemed ragged.

Liam turned when he heard footsteps, covering Theo as well as he could with his body, breathing heavily as his eyes searched the dark for the familiar face.

“Let me explain.” Scott’s voice was weirdly calm, casual, as if he was explaining to Liam how he used his toothbrush by accident. He hardly sounded like a man who had stalked Liam over years and done god knows what to his boyfriend.

“I don’t see what there is to explain.” Liam said quickly, backing up a little, his hands behind him, making sure he had Theo as protected as he was capable of making him in the circumstances.

Scott held his hands up, almost like in surrender, but Liam could see that he was armed.

“I know it seems extreme,” He said slowly, “But you have to understand, I’ve been protecting you since you were a kid.”

“Protecting me?” Liam repeated, “Is that what you call this…?”

“Of course.” Scott nodded, “You make so many bad decisions, Liam. Theo, for example. Bad decision. I just have to… fix that bad decision for you. Since you cut me out.” Liam scooted a little closer to Theo, who was still unconscious behind him. “The lacrosse team and then acting… Don’t you understand? The world would’ve eaten you alive without me. When you got any major rejection, who was there for you? I was. Every time, I was there for you. When your dad put you in hospital, who do you think made sure he wouldn’t come back for you? I did.”

“What? I was… ten. I… I didn’t even know you then?” Liam could feel the panic building in his chest, the realisation that he had never actually been as safe as he thought. That this had been going on forever.

“But I knew you. I watched you all the time. I made sure you were safe. I made sure you were happy. You don’t know the half of the shit I’ve done for you, Liam. The half of what I’ve done, of what I would do… for you.” He took a deep breath, as if composing himself, trying to get back to his explanation, “Then when you were a little older, I helped you with lacrosse. Then became your Manager. I went into Hollywood for you. I wrote my entire career around staying with you. Liam, I’m your guardian angel, you see that, right? I helped you get here. You wouldn’t have any of this without me.”

“What… what did you do to my father?” Liam asked.

“I kept you safe.” Scott told him, his eyes wide and innocent, as if he expected Liam to thank him for any of this. “Just like I always do. I did whatever I had to do to keep you safe. I kept you safe from everyone. Including him.” He gestured to Theo and Liam felt his heart jump. He was trying to keep Scott’s attention off Theo, no matter what it took. He had a bad feeling about letting Scott anywhere near him again.

“Why would you need to keep me safe from him?” Liam asked, feigning confusion. “If you just wanted to keep me safe, make me happy, like you said, wouldn’t it be good for me to be with someone you know well? Someone you trust. Isn’t that better?”

Scott’s expression twisted into something angrier. Something Liam didn’t recognise on him at all. “You’re supposed to be happy with me.” The words came out like a snap, and Liam reminded himself exactly how unbalanced this man really was. How dangerous.

He took a step forward, taking a little risk, hoping he could get Scott away from Theo properly. Weird as it was, he found himself wondering what Peter Parker would do. Without webs, of course.

“And— and high school? The kids who beat the shit out of me. You—you sicked them on Theo. But why? If you were trying to protect me, why did you let them go after me like that? You were older than them. They looked up to you, you could’ve stopped it.”

Scott gave a little smile, and Liam’s stomach turned. Only a day ago, that smile would’ve made Liam’s heart warm, made him feel safe and happy. Now it struck fear and panic into his heart. He could feel anger building, and he tried to keep it back, culminating in a sharp pain in the stomach. Anxiety and fear.

“You always came to me when they came after you. You would curl up in my arms and cry and I would protect you. I would hold you and I would make you feel safe again. Loved again.”

“You… let them hurt me so that I would come to you when shit got bad?”

“I let them show you how much you needed me. How much you’ve always needed me, since you were a kid. And when you came to me, I knew then that on some level, you knew it too. You love me, Liam. You’ve always loved me. We’re meant to be together. That’s why you always came to me when things got bad.” Liam shuddered, the reminder of the fact that he had been ten when Scott was eighteen, that Scott had probably done something to his father. The realisation that Scott had probably been following Liam since before Liam even knew who he was.

“Why did you do all this though?” Liam asked slowly, “The stalking and… all the photos and leaks…” He took a sharp breath, “Why not just… why not just ask me out?”

“I tried.” He snapped again and Liam didn’t understand. “I tried to kiss you and you said no.”

Liam couldn’t immediately recall what Scott was talking about, and maybe that was obvious on his face, because Scott continued. “A year ago. We were drinking and hanging out. It was the middle of the night. I kissed you and you rejected me. You said we were too close. You didn’t even give me a shot. After everything I’ve done for you.” He sounded angry again and Liam felt goosebumps rise on his arms, obviously afraid. He had pepper spray in his pocket still, but that would be far harder to get to, especially with Scott armed with something far more dangerous himself. “But it’s okay, Liam, it’s okay.” He grinned, “Because now you’ll see. And now we can be together. We can be us again. You can be mine.”

“I… I don’t remember.” Liam whispered.

“Of course you don’t. Of course you don’t. I’ve been there your whole life but of course you pick some random guy you barely know.” He gestured at Theo again, seeming angrier all the time, less predictable. Liam needed to remember that this wasn’t the Scott he knew. It was someone else entirely. A big question mark Liam didn’t know how to read or understand. “Some stupid kid who followed you around all through school,” Liam wondered if he truly lacked that self awareness. “It was my fault, y’know?” He grumbled, breathing heavily, the fluctuating emotions scaring Liam more. “I pointed you out to him. I told him, look at that boy. Look at his eyes, look at his smile. He’s gonna rule the world one day. And now he thinks he’s entitled to you. That you’re his?! Now he thinks he deserves you, because he protected you for two months? Please! I’ve been protecting you your entire life! I’ve earned you!”

He took a deep breath. He was an actor. He could do this. He could fix this. Get Scott away from Theo long enough for Theo to go, get help or something. He had to keep Scott distracted.

“Scott, maybe-- maybe things would’ve been different if-- if I knew you were interested,” Liam began, taking a few more slow steps forward. “But I was drunk and I didn’t know… I didn’t know how much you’ve done for me.” And really, if he had, he would’ve called the cops far sooner.

“Don’t fuck around with me, Liam.” Scott snapped again, and Liam stopped dead in his tracks. “I’m not Brett or Theo. I’m not some passing trend, something you do when you’re bored. I’m the one you end up with. This is how the movie ends.”

Liam glanced around the room. He was too far from the kitchen. He wouldn’t be able to get to any kind of weapon without Scott catching him or turning on Theo.

“I didn’t even know you were an option.” Liam expressed, taking another step forward, “Things would’ve been different if I knew.” He said softly, his hands twitching at his side. “I thought… I thought you liked girls only. Allison.”

Scott scoffed, and Liam took another step forward. He was too close. Closer than he felt safe being to the kind of person who would cut his hair and leak pictures of him with Theo. Who would watch him in the shower. Liam didn’t know what a person like that was capable of.

“Allison, right. Yeah, she was very useful.” He told Liam with a nod of his head. As if it was obvious.

“Why didn’t you just talk to me, Scott? You know I trust you.” Trusted was more accurate, but Liam wasn’t going to tell him that.

“You started dating him.” He gestured at Theo, and Liam could see anger rising in his eyes. “You chose him. Him! Of all fucking people. I brought him here because of you. Because he hated you. I thought…” He trailed off, rubbing a hand over his face.

Liam just wanted to keep him talking, praying Mason would figure it out and send help. “Thought what?”

“I thought it would push you closer to me. Not to him.” He scoffed again.

“But I thought you were friends.”

Scott raised his brows, and Liam realised how fucked up he really was when he casually answered. “We are. But he’s no you.”

Liam flinched. He didn’t mean to, the comment just set his teeth on edge. He didn’t know how to fix it.

“You’re scared of me.” Scott commented, his eyes narrowing.

Liam didn’t know what to say. As it was, he was running on nervous energy. Trying not to cry. He was sure, if he survived this, Liam would never trust anyone again, not properly. He was sure years of therapy wouldn’t get him over this. But right now, all it was about was keeping himself and Theo breathing until someone figured it out and came for them. Liam told Mason it was Scott. All he could hope was Mason figured out where they were. He was smart enough, easily. Maybe Allison even knew.

“I’m overwhelmed.” Liam said softly, “I… I don’t want to get hurt.” This much was true, and he hoped maybe he could get some idea of Scott’s intentions from the statement.

“I don’t want to have to hurt you.” Scott answered instantly, “It wasn’t meant to go like this. But I will not let you choose him over me. See, him. Him, I get. You’ve always been better than him. Smarter, stronger, more talented. Of course he’d fall for you. But why would you fall for him? Why would you choose him? What can he give you that I can’t? Just a pathetic, obsessed kid who gravitated to you like a moth to a flame when you were teenagers. He’s just some fucking guy, Liam. How could you choose him?”

Liam shook his head, “I’m not. I’m not choosing anyone else over you.” And now he had no doubt, Scott would hurt him. Kill him if it came to it. Suddenly, Liam thought he was lucky to have stayed alive as long as he did. He wondered what poor Melissa would think if she knew. Even his own parents, who had trusted him with Scott since he was a child. Had anyone had any piece of an inkling? Even Theo?

“What does that mean…?” Scott snapped again, and Liam took another step forward, forcing bravery into his chest. Forcing a smile onto his face.

“It means… well, it’s like you said… you’re my guardian angel.” Liam repeated Scott’s words, and he tried to manage the same lovelorn look he would throw at Hayden on set, the same thing that people took as romantic chemistry on camera.

“I am.” Scott answered, but he seemed skeptical of Liam, who was right in front of him now.

“Who else would I be with…?” Liam asked, “I’m sorry I didn’t see it sooner.” The words felt bitter in his mouth, but he would do what he had to do to keep himself and his boyfriend alive.

Scott reached up, putting his hands on either side of Liam’s face, and Liam had to actively stop himself from flinching away, forcing himself to lean into it, to close his eyes. Acting, he reminded himself. This was acting. Just acting. He ran his thumbs over Liam’s cheeks and Liam was sure the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. Sure he’d somehow fallen into a horror movie.

“Don’t fucking lie to me, Liam.” Scott said with narrowed eyes, staring at Liam, who was still locked between Scott’s hands. “Your eyes do not look like contacts, by the way.”

Liam felt his blood run cold, the casual reminder of something Theo had said to him months ago. The casual reminder that Scott had bugged them, had listened to all of it. The casual reminder that it had been him who told Liam that Theo shouldn’t be allowed in his bed. That it had been him who had sent Theo photos of Liam and Brett together.

“Thank you.” Liam said with a little, forced smile that he hoped would look bashful, “But I’m not lying. I… I love you.” Liam told him, eyes wide and as honest as he could make them. He was teary eyed, but he figured that only added to the performance in a way. He’d been acting since he was young, but this was different. Acting in fear of his life. In fear of Theo’s.

“And him?” Scott asked, jutting his crooked chin in Theo’s direction, as if to ask how Liam felt about him.

“Nobody.” Liam said, determined to keep Scott’s attention on him and off Theo. “He’s nobody. He can go back to Beacon Hills for all I care.”

“No.” Scott said flatly, “No, he needs to be gone. I got rid of him once and he came back again anyway. No more reprieves. He has to be gone. Really gone.”

“But-” Liam interrupted, afraid he’d give too much away, “But it doesn’t matter where he is. I’m here, with you.”

“I don’t care.” Scott barked, “He got in the way. He got in your head. He got in your pants! He’s gotta go. I was just about to finish it when you got here. You could help me.”

Liam’s mind was racing, trying to think of some other way to distract Scott, of something else he could do, when he heard the door creak open.

Terrified, Liam did the only thing he could think of. He leaned up on his toes and pressed his lips against Scott’s. He felt like vomiting. His skin crawled and he desperately wanted to leave, but he needed to distract Scott. Needed to give whoever was sneaking in a fighting chance of actually helping him here.

Scott heard it anyway, apparently, because a moment later, he had shoved Liam back and they had both turned to look at Mason, who stood in the doorway, eyes wide with fear as he took in everything happening in front of him. Theo unconscious behind him, bleeding from the head, Scott with his hands on Liam’s face, Liam, probably letting his fear visibly show now.

Fuck.

“I told you not to fucking lie to me.” Scott snapped, turning back to Liam.

It all happened so fast, Liam could barely make sense of it. One moment, he was standing with Scott, watching Mason across the room, and the next, he was on the ground, on his back. Scott was on top of him, pinning him down, and Liam could feel hands around his neck.

The panic had well and truly set in, and Liam could feel that familiar short circuiting feeling. The way his vision seemed like static on an old television. The way his hearing felt fuzzy and off tune. Everyone was a thousand miles away. Liam knew he couldn’t breathe, he knew he couldn’t think, but it was like his mind had gone empty. Like he was gone, replaced by some empty, fading version of Liam.

Like in the airport. He tried to call out to Theo, but with no breath in his throat and no ability to move, he was sure nothing really came out.

Liam was going to die. He could feel it. He could feel the fading. His lungs were on fire. He couldn’t move, panic paralysing him in place.

He could hear Mason shouting, like it was miles away, through a tunnel. He could hear grunting, then nothing.

*

“Liam, honey…?”

Blue eyes flickered open, then immediately squinted shut again. The bright lights were uncomfortably focused on him, and it took him a minute to place where he was. To place what had happened.

“Mom…?” He whispered. Then it hit him, and he started, “Scott!” He tried to shout, but it didn’t come out properly, his voice sounded faded and cracked. “Where’s--”

“Shh, honey, it’s okay.” She rested a hand on his shoulder and her face seemed to come into focus. She looked like she’d been crying, she looked terrified. “He’s gone, he’s not going to get to you.”

Liam didn’t understand, and when he tried to swallow, he became suddenly sharply aware of a deep pain in his throat. “What happened?” He whispered, looking around the otherwise empty hospital room, filled with confusion.

“Scott…” She cleared her throat, “He choked you. Theo was able to get him off you in time, and he and Mason were able to hold him until the police got there. But you’re in hospital. You’re going to be okay, just… a pretty bruised windpipe. You’re just going to have to stay overnight, make sure you’re alright and not in shock or that it’s not worse than they think. Theo’s also here. Mason too, somewhere. I think they might both still have to give statements. Scott’s been arrested.”

Liam tried to make sense of any of that.

It still didn’t feel real, but he also didn’t feel alone, he looked around, fear and paranoia clouding his eyes. “He’s watching me, Mom. He’s been watching everything. Since I was a kid, he’s been— he’s been—”

“Babe, he’s been arrested. He’s in custody. From what I understand, not in particularly good condition either. I don’t think Theo let him off easily. Said it was in defence of you.”

“Theo, his head!” Liam remembered suddenly, eyes wide.

“He’s fine, Liam, he got a few stitches and he’s being monitored but he’s fine. He got off easier than you did in the end.”

“Mason?” Liam asked, eyes wide.

“Mason’s fine too, babe. Not a scratch on him, just exhausted.”

Liam could feel tears falling, and his mother leaned over to wipe them away. “I’m so sorry,” Liam whispered through tears, his voice sounding broken and drained, unable to make it better.

“You’re sorry?” She asked, and tears were escaping her too. “Honey, I’m sorry. I’ve put you in his hands since you were fourteen! I had— I had no idea. I’m so sorry I put you in danger.”

Liam tried to shake his head, but he had a brace around his neck. “We all trusted him.” He said softly. “He always seemed… so genuine.”

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry you had to go through this.”

A little while later, a nurse entered. She asked Liam a few questions. Was he okay, how did his neck feel, how much did it hurt to talk (quite a lot). She asked how much he remembered, and asked if he would be able to take visitors now.

When Liam agreed, she let a cop inside first.

“Evening,” The woman said with a half smile, “Good to see you up.”

“Do I know you?” Liam asked, finding similarities in her he couldn’t place.

“No, but my name is Valerie. I’m Hayden’s older sister. That might be what you’re seeing. It’s nice to finally see you, though a shame it wasn’t under better circumstances.”

“Oh, hi.” He tried to smile, but winced when it hurt. “Nice to meet you.”

She moved to sit beside Liam’s bed, a notepad in hand. “I can answer any questions you have about it, I just need your statement to make sure it aligns with what Mr Raeken and Mr Hewitt have told us.”

Liam tried to nod, and winced again. “Yeah, uh, I can do that. Um… I went to my trailer after filming yesterday. Mid afternoon. Theo would often hang back a little to take care of things, check set… I fell asleep, assumed he’d come back,” He had to pause, his voice becoming so croaky it could barely be understood. Still, he went on telling the story right up till Mason entered. “I was… I was trying to keep him distracted. I hoped Mason would figure it out and call the cops. I guess he did.” He mumbled.

“And then…?”

“Um… Scott realised I told Mason and turned on me. He… he screamed something at me and then—and then knocked me down. I don’t remember much, I was… I was having a panic attack. But he was on top of me and I couldn’t breathe. I thought I was going to die. Then I woke up here.”

She nodded. “Great. Thank you for telling me all that, I know it can’t be easy right now.” She gave him a warm, kind smile.

“Do you have any questions for me?”

“Yeah, um… what happened? After Mason came in?”

She flipped the pad over, reading what he guessed was either Theo or Mason’s account.

“The perpetrator knocked you to the ground, began strangling you. You blacked out, probably from lack of oxygen. Mr Raeken came to and was able to get Mr McCall off you with the help of Mr Hewitt. There was an altercation between the two, and the police arrived to apprehend Mr McCall.”

“Mason and Theo, they won’t be charged with anything, right?”

“No, Liam. It was clearly self-defence. We’ve been aware of your situation for some time. We also found belongings of yours in his car.”

“My belongings?” Liam asked.

“Underwear, clothing, photographs. Not all of them recent. Among other things.”

Liam felt like he was going to be sick— and his mother looked like she might too.

“Did he say anything?”

He didn’t know why he asked. He didn’t really want to know.

“No.” Valerie answered quietly, before adding. “Hard to talk too much with a broken jaw though.” Liam knew she was a cop, that was her job to be level headed and matter of fact about these things, but he could’ve sworn she smirked at that comment. He could imagine that was Theo’s doing.

“And he won’t be let back out now, right?” Liam asked, feeling fear at the prospect.

“No. He’s up for stalking, multiple counts of attempted murder, intimidation, revenge pornography, assault, kidnapping. At least. Potentially more. You’ve been granted an immediate restraining order, which will be made permanent when it goes to court. But there’s evidence, eye witnesses and he’s made no attempt to deny it. He won’t be getting off.”

Liam nodded slowly, but found he didn’t feel any safer. They finished up whatever else she needed, and then she left him and his mother alone again.

“Can you--”

“Mason or Theo?” She asked, and Liam couldn’t help but give her a little smile. He loved her so much. He was just so glad she hadn’t been hurt in it all. That had been his worst fear. That one of his loved ones would get hurt. Theo had. Theo had nearly died.

“Either.” He said quietly, “Both.”

Jenna nodded and got to her feet, leaving the room. Liam felt like his skin was itching, and despite Valerie having told him he was being guarded, that it was all being kept under wraps, he was still scared.

But only a few minutes later, Mason entered the room. He looked tired and a little worse for wear, but physically fine. He moved closer, sitting on the edge of the bed, beside Liam.

“I’m so sorry.” Liam said quickly, his voice squeaking. “I’m so sorry, Mase. I should’ve known it wasn’t you. I should’ve--”

Mason held up a hand to stop Liam talking. “No, you were right to be suspicious. I mean, how many sleepovers have we had with Scott? How many pizza nights? Road trips? You should have been suspicious, because… of anyone I didn’t think it was… I just…” Mason stared at his hands for a moment.

“Guess I’m not the only one sporting new trust issues,” Liam commented quietly, tiredly, and Mason nodded back at him.

“Oh yeah. I will be doing self defense classes every day for the rest of my life. I’m sorry I couldn’t get him off you. I’m sorry for any part I played. I trusted him and he manipulated me into distrusting Theo. Into… distrusting you, even. Or distrusting your judgement, maybe. I trusted him, and… I made it so much worse for you by doing that.” Liam tried to shake his head, but winced again, forgetting he couldn’t do that.

“He’s known us since we were kids and he’s bigger than us both.” Liam said softly. He felt so exhausted, so overwhelmed. Like no amount of thinking could fix this. Could make it make sense. He had trusted Scott with everything. With his entire life. He still had questions, maybe one day he would find it in himself to ask more questions, but he knew he would be coming to terms with this for the rest of his life. Since he was ten years old. At least. How could he ever trust again.

“Thank you.” Liam added quietly, “For figuring it out. For finding me. For calling the police. For running headfirst into danger without any clue what you were getting into.”

Mason took his hand and Liam squeezed it. “Always, man. I know this probably feels fake right now, but I’ve always got your back.”

Liam smiled, and they both laughed a little.

“Hey, Mase? Can you… let the others know? Corey and Hayden? Brett? Tell them I’m sorry… That I love them. That I’m okay… all of it.”

Mason smiled a little, “They’re all here already, man. In the waiting room. You really think your friends wouldn’t show up for you after all this?”

Liam smiled a little at that, “Oh. Well… just tell ‘em I love ‘em then. Unless they’re secretly working with Scott, then not so much.” He joked weakly.

They talked a little longer before Mason left, promising to get Theo.

When Theo finally entered, he looked a little worse for wear. His head was bandaged, and Liam hated how big the bandage was. He also had a split lip, but other than that, he looked okay.

“Hey…” Theo’s voice was soft and concerned, and it struck Liam that of anyone, this also probably affected these two the worst. Liam and Theo, both having relied on Scott from a young age. Both having completely trusted him. Liam and Theo, who had been kept apart since Liam was sixteen.

“Hey.” Liam held his arms up, beckoning Theo in for a hug, desperate to be close to his boyfriend again.

When Theo walked quickly over and obliged, awkwardly leaning down over Liam’s bed to hug him without hurting his neck, Liam felt tears stain his cheeks.

“Can I say it yet?” Liam asked, and Theo shook his head.

“No. You’re even more emotionally vulnerable now than before. I’m not going to take advantage of your emotions like that. I think you’ve had that enough.”

While Liam understood where Theo was coming from, he desperately wanted to be able to just kiss him and tell him he loved him. Especially after thinking he was going to lose him earlier. Liam shuffled sideways a bit in the bed, patting the side for Theo to lay beside him.

Theo hesitated at first, but then moved to sit beside him in the bed, eyes flickering over to Liam, slipping his hand into Liam’s.

“Thanks for saving my life,” Theo said softly, looking at Liam with a certain softness in his eyes.

Liam scoffed, then winced, “Theo, you saved mine too.”

“I wouldn’t have been alive to save yours if you hadn’t saved mine first.”

“Are we really going to bicker about this?” Liam asked, playfully grumpy. He was only joking around, but when he noticed tears in Theo’s eyes, his expression turned serious. “Wait, why are you crying?” Liam asked, never tactful, but always with the best intentions.

Theo brought his hands up to cover his face, and Liam realised he’d never seen Theo cry before. He’d heard him, when Theo had told him about the note and high school, but never actually seen his face while he was crying. Theo had hidden it last time too. Liam didn’t know why he did it, but it broke his heart to witness.

“I’m so sorry,” He whispered through his hands and Liam wished he could sit up properly, wished he could do more to comfort him, but Liam was a little trapped, held in place by his brace and pain medication.

“I don’t understand-- none of this is your fault. Why are you sorry?” Liam asked, genuinely confused and unable to do much to help.

“I failed you like I failed her.”

“Tara?” Liam asked, never having gotten a solid answer about why Theo blamed himself for what happened to Tara, even though it had been a murder. Something he couldn’t control, that happened when he was a child.

“I was there, Liam.” He gasped out through tears, “I was there. I was right there, hidden under the bed. I watched it happen, and I just-- I just did nothing. I just kept hiding, Liam. And tonight your life was in danger and I… I failed. I let myself get taken by surprise and when you needed me, I was unconscious.”

Liam shook his head, “When I needed you, you were there to pull Scott off me. And you were, what, ten when… the accident happened?”

“Nine,” Theo corrected, sniffly.

“Nine. You couldn’t have stopped it, Theo. You’d only have gotten yourself killed too. And then you wouldn’t have been here to pull Scott off me.” He said in a soft voice, knowing it wasn’t as reassuring as he would’ve liked. “Theo, not everything is your responsibility. I’m so sorry all of this has happened to you, but I’m-- I’m only alive because of you and I lo--”

“No.” Theo cut him off, bringing a hand up to his mouth to stop him.

Liam frowned, “I should be able to say it.” He grumbled against Theo’s hand.

“No.” He brought one of Liam’s hands up to his mouth and kissed the back off it, gently. “But thank you. I’m just… I’m sorry, you’ve had a bad enough day without me having a meltdown. This is why I was staying away.”

“Are you okay, love?” Liam said softly, looking down at him with concerned eyes.

“Not really. Are you?”

“Not really.” Liam answered quietly, “Will you stay with me? I can’t be alone tonight. Hell, I don’t know if I can ever be alone again.”

“‘Course.” Theo nodded, “Already been cleared to. Bodyguard and all that.” He breathed, “Really, I think Jenna probably just insisted I had to stay with you. Guess after all this, she still trusts you with me.”

“You saved my life.” Liam repeated, “He would’ve choked me to death, we both know that.”

Theo winced, shaking his head. “He would’ve killed you because you loved me.” He agreed, “Killed you rather than seeing you happy with someone else.”

“Aha!” Liam tried to shout triumphantly, but it came out as more an intensely painful croak. Theo immediately looked panicked, looking around for a nurse, but Liam pulled him back. “You said I loved you.”

“Not the same.” Theo defended, “And I didn’t mean it literally.”

Liam’s mood flattened after a moment with a scoff.

“How did it happen?” Liam whispered. “How did he get to you? How… just how?”

“Honestly,” Theo said slowly, “I don’t entirely know. I was doing a patrol, like normal, and I got a text from Scott calling me to Stiles’ office to discuss filming or something. I thought they were going to give you time off after the leak. Someone attacked me, Scott, I guess, and there was a scuffle and I wound up knocked out…” He gestured to his bandage, “Then waking up in your apartment. He had taken my phone and… had a gun and was telling me I had to call you and say I was leaving you. I just… I was trying to figure out what I could say to tip you off that he wouldn’t understand. That’s why I said the thing about High School. I wanted you to know… that the same person did both, y’know? That we were being… messed around again. After we hung up, he knocked me out again. All he really did was go on this long rant about how I’d stolen you from him and how I was ungrateful for everything he did. I wish I knew more, but honestly, it all happened really fast, and I was tied up for most of it. Mason hitting me to wake me up and untying me was very useful.”

“I’m so sorry. That must’ve been… really traumatic for you.” Liam offered, and Theo sort of smiled at him.

“We’re both alive and Scott’s behind bars, so I think I can handle it.”

There was a moment of comfortable silence while they lay beside each other, just listening to machines beep and far off talking.

“Hey, Theo? He can’t have done all this alone, you realise. He wasn’t there that night at the club. And that day with the jumper…” Liam trailed off, hating to disrupt the peace with his paranoia. But he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

“I asked him… Or… y’know, tried to beat it out of him.” Theo said softly, “When you were unconscious and we waited for the cops.”

“And?”

Theo took a deep breath, like he didn’t want to finish the thought. “He just laughed.”

A shiver ran down Liam’s spine. “Okay, you’re definitely never leaving me again,” he said softly.

“Happily.”

Chapter Text

When Liam heard it wasn’t going to trial, he could’ve cried for all the relief he felt. His lawyer, Braeden, said that Scott had essentially admitted to only pleading not guilty in the hopes of seeing Liam again in court. In the hopes that Liam would have to testify in front of him.

The thought turned Liam’s stomach, so he was glad when it was essentially pushed back, and Scott was told that his options were to plead guilty and incur a lighter sentence or plead not guilty and probably be hit with the maximum possible sentencing. Though he wished Scott would be gone for as long as possible, he was totally fine with not having to see him again in court. With not having to relive it.

The truth was, there was too much evidence. He had no argument against any of it. They had found too much tying Scott to it all. Lacrosse jerseys from when Liam was thirteen. Long since forgotten sweaters or stray items of clothing. Underwear. Pictures he shouldn’t have had. Aside from the photos of Liam sleeping he had seen, there were plenty of others. And not just from that year, but over years of Liam’s life. Even when he was a child.

The more evidence he was told about, the more terrified he felt, the harder he found it to trust anyone.

Six months had passed easily before Liam even slept through the night. He went to therapy several times a week. Had more than one bodyguard now, though only one who stayed with him all the time. There was always extra security on set, and everyone he knew had moved homes and changed numbers. Some people still talked to him frequently. Mason, Corey, Hayden. Some rarely ever contacted him now, out of guilt or fear, he didn’t know. Allison, Matt, Nolan.

The day after the kidnapping had been a shit show.

Before he even woke up, the story had broken everywhere. Liam Dunbar, famous Marvel actor, put in hospital after being stalked for over ten years by his own Manager. Scott McCall, hollywood talent Manager, arrested for kidnapping and attempted murder.

There were pictures of him being wheeled into an ambulance on tabloid magazines everywhere. It was violating. He could see the angry purple bruises against his neck. He looked dead. He looked really dead. It had been months before he could talk properly again, let alone yell and act.

‘Inside Sources’ saying all kinds of shit no one who knew Liam would ever say (especially since most of them weren’t true). As per usual, people had a thousand theories, most of which were wrong. Many theorised that Scott was a jilted ex, that Liam had left him for Theo (or maybe Brett or Hayden, depending on the story) and that he had taken it out on Liam.

Others theorised that Scott was framed, that it must’ve been someone else.

Some even justified it, saying that if they spent every day with Liam, they’d be obsessed with him too. Liam found that part the most troubling, it made him feel sick to think about. That Scott wasn’t alone, and that there were people who would justify what he’d done. Even saying Liam should’ve stayed with him, because it was like a love story.

Liam couldn’t move a muscle without someone wanting answers or throwing accusations.

He’d been offered book deals, offered seven figure pay-outs for documentaries or exclusive interviews. People were desperate to know his story, desperate to make some lifetime movie out of what had happened to him. It was all entertainment to them, a news cycle with intrigue and fame. To Liam, it was the thing that had shattered his trust and his innocence. He’d been hounded, and lied about and, ironically, stalked by the paparazzi about it all.

But six months later, he and Theo lived together. Properly, lived together. They had a bigger, nicer home. It looked like people actually lived in it, because they actually acted like they did -- and Liam felt safer there. It was off the beaten track, had a top of the line security system and had Theo around him all the time, plus another bodyguard, Danny, who had joined the staff at one point.

Liam had a general phone, one for most people to call him, and his personal phone. Very few people in the world had that number, and it was a closely guarded item.

Liam still got threats. After all the stories were published, people would often try to mimic Scott to him. Text him things Scott had said. Liam knew he was in jail. He had been in jail since the attack. But it still made his blood run cold every single time.

More than once, Liam actually found something from Scott. Something that he told himself had been planted from before. That he told himself was just a remnant of the bullshit Scott had planned. Notes. Pictures. Professions of love. Things that would undoubtedly terrify Liam.

Every time, Theo would crowd up into his space, press kisses to his face, and remind him that he was safe, that Scott was gone, and that no one knew where they were.

Liam would never say it, because he loved Theo (for as much as Theo never let him say so) and because it did help, but sometimes, he felt like shouting until he had no voice, screaming endlessly into the void because how could this happen to him and how could he ever breathe again? Because how did you come back from one of your only long-term, trusted friends betraying you that way?

How did Liam stop looking at everyone in his life and thinking how easily they could’ve been the one who helped Scott.

Even Mason, who Liam had known since five years old, who’d saved Liam by showing up when he did, who’d saved him again by untying Theo and waking him up, sometimes made Liam’s stomach turn. Sometimes he couldn’t look him in the eye, and even existing in his space hurt.

Because sometimes he had to stop filming because his heart was beating too fast and his vision was furry and no matter how badly he wanted to trust Hayden and Corey, whom he’d loved for so long, he just couldn’t.

Because sometimes he sat on his own in the shower and sobbed, wondering if he was still being watched, and if he’d ever really be free.

Nearly every night, he woke screaming, remembering all the horrible things that had been said to him. Remembering that Scott had been doing this since he was a child. He’d dream that he was fourteen again, running around on the quidditch pitch. He’d dream that he would run over to Scott, high five him, that Scott would lift him up after he scored a game winning point. Then the dream would always shift. He’d be back in his apartment, on the ground, with Scott’s hands around his throat. He’d see Scott knocking Theo out or attacking Mason or his mother or any one of a thousand other people.

For the first few months after it happened, Liam would wake screaming and check the rooms again and again for cameras. He broke three different phones when he couldn’t hack the paranoia.

It was nearly nine months to the day when Liam finally began to try to deal with the reality that there was no pretending it didn’t happen.

“I want to go talk to Scott.”

Theo just about dropped the bowl of cereal in his hand. “Liam. Sweetheart. Idiot love of my life. Why would you do that?” And he sounded so annoyed and done with Liam that Liam almost laughed.

“I need answers. I can’t get them from anyone but him.”

“He won’t give them to you.” Theo seemed exasperated. “He’ll just try to wind you back into coming again and again. He’ll just try to find a way to keep controlling you. You’re free now, don’t go back.”

Liam shrugged, “Maybe. But I’m still doing it.”

“Liam, no. I forbid it. Boyfriend-bodyguard trump card.”

“Honestly, it’s like you don’t know me at all, Sir.” Liam grinned sarcastically at his boyfriend.

“Does it matter if I tell you I think this is a terrible idea?” Theo asked. He looked tired. He had put his cereal down now and was sitting with his arms folded across the table. He looked funny, trying to be so serious in Scooby Doo pyjama pants, but in fairness, the pants were technically Liam’s. His hair was cropped shorter than before, and he looked wearier.

“Nope.” Liam told him, getting to his feet and walking towards the bedroom to get dressed, kissing the top of Theo’s head on the way past. “You look very cute today though.”

“Hate you.”

“No, you don’t.”

*

“You can still back out, Pup.” Theo said softly as they sat in his car, outside the prison, both staring straight ahead.

“No way.” Liam said slowly, “But thank you.”

“No one would blame you.” Theo took his hand, looking at him with sheer concern.

“No one knows I’m here except people who physically have to for the sake of clearance.”

“And those people wouldn’t blame you, little wrecking ball.” Theo said with stubborn sarcasm. “I can come with you…?” Theo offered quietly, and Liam truly was touched by his concern.

“No, no.” Liam said quickly. “I don’t think that’ll help. He’ll only freak out and get jealous. I think my best bet is to do this alone.”

“I hate this.” Theo told him and Liam nodded.

“I know, sweetheart.” He teased. The nickname had become something of a joke between them. They only ever called each other sweetheart when they were bantering, mocking each other. Usually, it was a joke reserved for when one felt the other was being silly or stupid.

A few minutes later and he was inside. Signing in, being led around by a guard who seemed to wish he was never born. Before he knew it, he was sitting at a chair looking into a glass booth.

He wondered if it would feel like a movie, but it didn’t. The chair was cold and hard and real. The glass was scratched and looked more like plexiglass, he wondered if the scratches were from inmates trying to attack their visitors. He wondered if Scott would add more scratches to the glass today. Beyond the class, Liam could see a small, blueish grey room, with a heavy steel door that Liam imagined he would see Scott come through. Liam didn’t feel safe at all, and the phone on the side of the wall didn’t help much. There were guards around, and Liam truly didn’t want to do this. But he knew he had to.

A moment later, Scott walked in. He was escorted by a guard, hands and feet chained as he walked. His eyes were locked on Liam as the guard released him to sit down and talk, and it made Liam feel like a bug under a terrifying microscope.

But Scott seemed almost giddy, as if he were just reuniting with an old friend, as if he hadn’t nearly killed Liam only nine months before. He was excited, visibly, like he’d been waiting for this since the day he got arrested. Maybe he had been.

When Scott picked up the phone, he gave Liam a bright smile. It turned Liam’s stomach. Once, he would’ve instinctively smiled back. But now all he could think of was how much he’d trusted Scott. How many things he told him over the years. How many times they’d slept in the same bed.

“Hey, Li.” He was bright, cheery, and Liam had to remind himself that this man was not his childhood friend, his lacrosse and acting mentor who’d fostered his talent and hugged him when the other kids bullied him. This was Scott McCall, stalker, who had nearly killed Liam because Liam didn’t want to kill Theo and run away with him.

“Hello. I think Theo fixed your jaw.” Liam’s voice was measured and uncomfortable, but he found it hard to resist the urge to lash out in defense of an attack that hadn’t come yet.

“Oh, don’t do that.” He scoffed, “This is the longest we’ve gone without seeing each other since you were... what, thirteen? I know you missed me. I missed you.”

Liam pushed his chair back away from the table, taking deep breaths. A guard moved quickly towards them, but Liam waved them off. He could do this. He just needed to stop the emotion from boiling.

“I missed you, Liam.” Scott repeated as he leaned forward, pressing closer to the glass. “It’s good to see you. I’ve been waiting to see you.”

“Funny you say that, I was looking forward to never seeing you again.”

Scott grinned, and Liam wondered how he’d ever missed the deranged look in his eyes. “Nah. You were always going to come back to me, Liam. I’m too important to you.”

Liam flinched. Maybe partly because it was true. Not that Liam was always going to come back, he truly had no intention of ever seeing Scott again-- but because he was important to Liam. Even now, even after everything. He was too important. Uncomfortably important.

“So… what brings you to my new home?” Scott asked, leaning forward, “Not that I don’t appreciate the visit. But… Why are you here? After so many months of ignoring me?”

Liam blinked, trying to remember all the questions he wanted to ask.

“My Dad.” Liam began, “Ever since you said you stopped him coming back, people have been looking. Nobody can find him. Nothing, not a trace. What did you do to him? Is he… even alive?”

Scott let out a slight laugh, “All you need to know is he’s not coming back for you.”

That didn’t answer the question, but it gave Liam pause. Made him wish he could just make a run for it. But he still wanted to know. He still desperately wanted to know the truth.

“How did you do it?” Liam asked, “I mean, I get most of it… but there were things you weren’t there for or things I know you couldn’t have done. My sweater… you were with me.” He paused, “How did you do it?”

“Well, I could tell you.” Scott smiled, “But why would I? Unless you make it worth my while to.”

“Because…” He frowned, “You fucked up my life, Scott, the least you could do is give me answers. Or else I might as well just leave.” He began to slowly rise to his feet, ready to move.

Scott smiled again, “Will you come back to see me…?”

“No.” He said flatly, “But it can either be a longer conversation now or I can just leave. Theo’s waiting for me.” Maybe he added the last bit out of spite, but he sort of felt like he’d earned that spite. Earned the anger.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel surprised somehow when he saw Scott’s angry reaction. The way his jaw clenched. The way his eyes narrowed. “Fine. I can answer a few questions. But you have to humour me. Tell me about your life.”

Liam breathed heavily, trying to keep calm, “Who was wearing my sweater?”

“Allison.” Scott answered calmly, “I told her it was a prank. I’m not sure if she ever suspected otherwise, but she didn’t ask me. By the time she suspected anything, she was already gone.”

“Gone?” Liam asked.

“No one told you? Huh. Maybe they thought you’d been through enough. She was locked in your bathroom when you turned up. Knocked out, tied up. Fine, I’m sure. I wasn’t trying to kill her. Just keep her quiet till I could be done with Theo.” His smile widened, and Liam thought he looked distinctly… proud. Proud of what he’d done.

“Why?” Liam asked. “If she didn’t suspect?”

“Insurance policy.” Scott shrugged. “I had decided I was done, and I figured, you would do what you had to to protect your friend. I didn’t plan for Theo to still be breathing when you turned up.” He said it so calmly, as if he was telling Liam a casual story about what he’d done that day.

“I trusted you…” Liam said, breathless, afraid.

“So tell me about you. Are you still filming?” Scott didn’t acknowledge Liam’s comment at all, brushing it off as if they were catching up for coffee. As if everything was totally normal.

“I had to stop for a bit.” Liam answered, his expression blank, trying not to give anything away about how he was feeling. “My throat was injured, I couldn’t speak properly for a while.”

Scott grinned, his eyes landing possessively on Liam’s neck, like he was looking for some sign of what he’d done, and Liam took the chance to ask his own next question.

“Who took the picture of Brett and I? You were at home, people saw you. So who took it?”

Scott’s smile only grew, and it made Liam feel a bit sick. He couldn’t wait to get out of here, to try to burn this conversation out of his mind by any means necessary. He just wanted to be able to trust his friends again.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you… Pup.” Liam knew the implication was that it was Theo, but he couldn’t, for the life of him, believe that. He had to believe Scott was fucking with him, trying to get into his head. He had to believe it was another way to try to ruin his life from the inside.

“Who took the photo, Scott?”

“It wasn’t me.” Scott said easily, leaning back in his own chair, his smile cocky. Maybe he could see he was getting into Liam’s head. Maybe he just wanted to keep him talking. “I took it off someone else’s phone. That’s all I can offer you.”

“Was it someone I trust?” He asked, feeling his jaw shaking as he tried to keep it together.

“Maybe. You’re not very discerning.” He raised his shoulders in a shrug.

“The shower? How did you do that? How did you even get in?” Scott’s grin widened.

“That one was easy, actually. Mason trusted me. You trusted Mason. It was cute, really. He thought he was helping you by telling me. He was right, of course, just not in the way he thought. You were always safer with me watching over you.” He shrugged, “After I knew the hotel, it was easy for me to find you. I know all your aliases. I’m a manager. Your manager. People rarely turn me down when looking for information on you. I have access to everything… I waited till you were at dinner and then I put cameras in the rooms. Your phones were both already bugged anyway.” His head tipped to the side. “That was one of my favourites. If only you’d just realised then that you needed me.”

Liam had no way of knowing if anything Scott was saying was the truth, but he felt frozen suddenly, like he couldn’t breathe. It was cold out, but the inside was warm, and despite that, Liam’s fingers felt like ice. He felt like he was struggling to move at all. Frozen.

“So you really could see me?”

“Liam, I’ve seen almost everything you’ve done since we first met.”

Liam thought back over his time with Scott. He remembered Scott kneeling down to high five Liam when he made a good shot in their lacrosse practices. Scott, already a man, with his hands on Liam’s shoulders as he waited to go into auditions, only a kid himself. He remembered one particularly bad day, after he had wound up with two black eyes and a split lip from his lacrosse team, where he had gone straight to the McCall house on his bike, not wanting to go home. How he had let himself in through Scott’s window, and Scott, who had been playing some video game, had abandoned it. How he had looked at Liam with so much worry and protectiveness. Liam thought… he thought it was like a big brother. Someone who cared about him.

That day, he had cried in Scott’s arms.

He thought Scott would’ve stopped it if he could. Now, to find out he had been letting it happen, encouraging it even, because he wanted Liam to be dependent on him. And Liam was. He was just a kid who had used Scott as a safe space. Who had trusted him enough to let him into every part of his life. To let him be there when Liam was sad.

Scott had been an adult when Liam was a child, and Liam thought of him like an older brother, like a father. Scott was right, Liam had trusted him with everything. With his secrets, with his fears, with his emotions. He had trusted Scott, and Scott had treated Liam like he owed him something. Like being kind to Scott made him somehow belong to Scott. Indebted to him. Indebted to him for things Liam didn’t even know he’d done.

He shuddered, “How did you even find me? Why me?”

“I coached your lacrosse games. When you were in elementary. You remember, right? That’s when we met. You were so talented. As you got older, you got more into lacrosse. Then acting. Once my family took Theo in I had plenty of excuses to be around the school.” He shrugged.

“Why me?” Liam repeated, on the verge of tears. It was still too overwhelming. A near lifetime of trusting someone, turned to ashes so quickly and so violently.

Scott’s expression turned composed, pensive, like he was thinking. “I don’t know why back then.” He admitted, “There was something about you. How did Theo put it? Even back then, there was always something about you. Something... magnetic.”

Liam’s stomach lurched at the direct quote. He remembered Theo saying that. They had been sitting in his bed talking at three o’clock in the morning. The first time they really bonded. It had been just after that that Liam had received the text. Scott saying he should be the only one in Liam’s bed. He hadn’t truly been able to put all those things into Scott’s voice. Into his image of him. But with Scott repeating Theo’s words back right now, it was hard to deny.

“So you bugged my phone? You heard everything I said?” Liam asked.

“I bought you your phone, Liam. You’ve been letting me into every part of your life since you were fourteen years old. It wasn’t even hard.” He gave a little smile. “I’d like to say it was challenging. But really, it was… just patience.”

Liam frowned, “And why then? Why did you randomly start then? After… ten years of being with me.”

Scott let out a sigh, “You know, I’ve thought about that a lot since then. I wish I could say I had a good answer. Maybe I was just sick of you belonging to the whole world instead of just to me.”

“Did anyone else help you?” Liam asked, leaning forward, eyes narrowed. This was really what he wanted to know. If he could trust everyone else. If he was going to have to spend the rest of his life wondering. If he would ever really feel safe with anyone, ever again.

“Are you still with Theo?” Scott asked, head tipping. His voice was calm and slow, like he was talking to a child, giving advice that should have been obvious. “You could do so much better, Liam, I don’t understand it. He was just some pathetic kid. I’m the one who’s been by your side.”

“Yes. Did anyone else help you?” Liam repeated, uninterested in anything Scott had to say about Theo.

“Like I said, Liam… you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” He smiled at Liam in his predatory, focused way, and Liam couldn’t shake the feeling that it would never be over. That it would never end. “Why did you kiss Theo at that party?” He asked, and his eyes were wider now, locked on Liam like he was waiting desperately for his answer.

“I thought you and Theo were friends, Scott? You practically… you nearly raised him, how can you be so glib about it? How could you… care so little?”

Scott sighed, exasperated. “I’ve already answered this one, Liam. Theo is a good kid, and I cared about him, I did. But when push comes to shove… he’s no you. Why did you kiss him at that party?”

“Because I love him.” Liam said back, simply. It was the truth, but part of him also hoped it would hurt Scott. Part of him hoped it made him angry.

“How cute.” Scott laughed, shaking his head. “You love him. You barely even know him. And when it all goes to hell, and it will, you’ll come back to me. Because I’m your guardian angel, and I’m the one you’re meant to be with. He’s just a passing trend. Some random kid that picked you out of a lineup and fixated on you for years.”

“Have you met yourself?” Liam asked, shaking his head.

Liam pushed back away from the table, getting ready to leave, deciding he couldn’t take it anymore. He thought he was ready for this, thought he was ready to be done with Scott, to put it behind him. He had thought he could handle seeing his familiar face again. But all it brought back was memories. Liam and Scott, playing video games in the middle of the night. Scott, calling Liam to tell him he had been hired to play Spiderman. Scott, helping him do up his tie for his first school dance.

He had known and trusted this man since childhood, and he had never, ever been safe.

“Oh, and Liam? I’ve left some things behind for you. I’m sure you’ll find them all, eventually. But you’ll never really be alone. I’ll never really leave you.”

Liam got to his feet, dropping the phone and turning to walk out.

The guards held the door open for him, but before he could leave, he heard Scott call out again.

“You’re still mine, Liam. Always.”

He stalked back through the way he’d come, taking off his visitor badge and signing out as quickly as he could.

When he got back outside into the cold December weather, he saw Theo leaning against his car, waiting for Liam to come back out.

Liam must’ve looked as ill as he felt, because Theo stood straight, anxiety filling his features. He held his arms out and Liam walked straight into them. There were so few people he could bring himself to trust anymore. Despite Scott’s implications, Theo was still on the list. He had no reason to distrust Theo, and frankly, he couldn’t bring himself to imagine a world in which Theo and Scott had been somehow in on it together.

“It’s okay, love.” Theo said quickly, pressing a kiss to the top of Liam’s head. “You’re okay. He’s in there, he can’t get you. I’ve got you.”

Liam’s head was dropped unceremoniously against Theo’s chest, his arms around Theo’s middle. “He wouldn’t tell me.” Liam mumbled out, “Allison was in the sweater. He said she was hurt in my apartment and… I haven’t seen her in months— do you…?”

“She’s fine.” Theo promised, “She gave evidence in your case, I remember speaking to her, she was no worse than I was. I would think she probably needs space… after everything. Being his pawn… I’m sure her trust is fucked up too.”

Liam nodded, “He said she didn’t know. But that he thought she might’ve suspected at the end.”

His bodyguard turned boyfriend nodded slowly, “That doesn’t entirely surprise me. If she did start to suspect, she was probably afraid of him… and the photo in the club?”

“All he would say was that he didn’t take it.” Liam swallowed. “I can’t shake the feeling there’s an accomplice out there, Theo. That someone knowingly helped him do this to me.”

“I don’t think so.” Theo’s voice was gentle, careful. “If someone knowingly helped, they’ve spent nine months not saying a word or going for you again.” He took a breath, “Honestly, Li, even if someone did help, it sounds like they’ve given up.”

“What if I’m not? What if they’re biding their time?”

“Then I’ll be here to protect you. No matter what.” He said softly, pressing another kiss to the top of Liam’s head.

“He implied… that you helped him.” Liam admitted slowly, quietly. He couldn’t look at Theo and say that, because as ridiculous as he knew it was, he was still scared.

“I love you, Liam. I would never, ever do that to you. I failed at keeping you safe, but I have never stalked you, I have never been around without your permission and I have never wanted to hurt or scare you.” Theo looked down at him earnestly, as if imploring Liam to see his eyes and believe him. Liam did.

“Can we go home?” Liam asked and Theo nodded.

Theo patted his cheek comfortingly. “I told you so.” He said, though his tone was soft and endearing, a joke. Maybe a return to the usual banter in the hopes of calming Liam down.

“I know.” Liam mumbled, smiling up at Theo softly.

“You would do it again, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes. Are you surprised?”

“Not at all.” Theo sighed.

*

Liam still struggled with showering. It was a weird problem to have and he knew it. It should have been relaxing. Private. Somewhere he felt safe, where he could think. Instead, it was just a place where Liam knew he had been watched. Yet another bit of privacy he had been robbed of. He reminded himself that he was safe, that no one knew where he was, that Scott was in jail.

He tried, again and again, to remind himself that he was safe, but he got nowhere.

Before he knew it, Liam could feel his heart beating and his breath rising.

He tried to calm himself, tried to self regulate. He did all the things his therapist recommended. He spoke out song lyrics. He counted his breaths. He listed five things he could see, hear or feel.

Nothing worked.

Within minutes, Liam was on his hands and knees in the shower, trying to force himself to breath steadily, but feeling that familiar buzzing sensation. The heat creeping under his skin. The paranoia. The fear. He couldn’t shake the feeling he was being watched, and his breathing was heavy.

“Theo!” He called out through strangled sobs, realising he was likely going to divulge into a full panic attack if he wasn’t careful, and in the shower too.

A moment later, Theo was there. Standing outside the shower, stripping off quickly and then moving quickly into the water beside Liam, quickly pulling the smaller boy into his arms. Liam knew he had lost a lot of weight after what happened, barely able to eat or sleep, but he was finally starting to put it back on now. Theo had gotten better at managing him, but Liam never stopped feeling guilty. He hated to think of himself as a burden on Theo, but he did.

Liam was bundled up in a sobbing heap between Theo’s legs, his head against Theo’s chest.

Theo was talking to him, mumbling soft and reassuring words, but Liam barely heard them. He could hear the sound of Theo’s voice. Reassuringly deep and husky in his ear. He could feel his arms around Liam, strong and holding him up. He could feel the water splashing over his face, and he knew if he could focus enough to look up, he would see Theo’s eyes looking down at him, his hair soaked from the water.

“I’m sorry,” Liam gasped out and Theo just cradled him, shushed him gently, kept trying to help.

The fear didn’t leave, didn’t fade, until some time later. Theo’s arms still tight around Liam, rubbing his back comfortingly. It took Liam time, he had to ride through the panic attack.

They hadn’t stopped, hadn’t even gotten less frequent, in the nine months since Scott’s arrest. Theo had gotten better at dealing with them, better at knowing whether Liam was alright, better at knowing how to wade through it all with him.

Liam didn’t wind up unconscious so much anymore. He managed to pull through, to keep his eyes open, to focus enough on Theo’s voice to ground himself.

When he started to feel like himself again, started to be able to hear the words, he began apologising profusely.

“I’m so sorry-- I’m so sorry.” He whispered, hating the sinking feeling of being like a burden on his loved one.

“Please, please don’t apologise to me,” Theo whispered, holding Liam tightly against him. “I’m so sorry all this has happened to you.”

“I don’t want to be a burden on you.” Liam whispered, tears still falling.

“Never. Not you. You never could be. Not to me.” He whispered, kissing the top of Liam’s head multiple times, rubbing a hand soothingly up and down his arms. “Though I wish you could be a little less reckless with going to see Scott.”

“Theo,” Liam whined, and Theo smiled again, squeezing him tighter.

“You ready to get out, Pup?” Theo asked him, and Liam nodded slowly.

“My arms and legs hurt. My stomach hurts. I feel sick.” Liam grumbled as Theo helped him.

“That would be the panic attack, my little superhero.” He lifted Liam up, and Liam went happily, easily cradled by Theo. It might’ve been harder before, but he was far slimmer now and trusted Theo far more. After nearly a year of being together, Liam felt safer and more comfortable in Theo’s arms.

When he set Liam down on the bed, Liam just lay there, waiting for Theo to join him. Instead, Theo returned with a towel, drying off Liam’s hair like he had in that hotel room.

“So… what did that letter say?” Liam asked in a soft voice. “Scott told me a line from it on the phone. That you only came to school because of me.”

Theo looked shy suddenly, avoiding Liam’s eyes. “We don’t have to… I was a sappy, hormonal teenager. I was really lonely.”

“And you never stopped following me on social media…”

“Liam…” Theo’s voice was warning, and his ears were going red.

“Like, was it a poem? Were you talking about my beautiful, contact-filled eyes?” Liam teased, shifting closer to Theo on the bed. He still felt exhausted and overwhelmed, but he was alive, and safe, and with Theo, and that had to be enough, for now.

Liam wasn’t sure he’d ever really be free. No matter how many therapy sessions he went to, no matter how many tactics he’d learned, no matter how much security was hired. At the end of the day, one question still played on Liam’s mind. Always. Who helped Scott?

“You’re an idiot.” Theo scoffed.

“You are so, so, so whipped for me.” Liam teased, rolling so he was laying on top of Theo, looking down at him. “Just tell me what the letter said.”

“I don’t remember.” Theo groaned, leaning up to kiss Liam instead. Liam still loved how easily he could distract Theo if he really tried. He smirked down at Theo.

“Yeah, you do.” Theo leaned up again, trying to get to Liam’s lips, but Liam pulled back, smirking.

Theo made a whining sound, pouting up at him dramatically.

“Tell me.” Liam pressed.

“I said I’d never seen anyone more beautiful in my life. That you were like a magnetic force and I just wanted to know you, even if it was never anything more than that. That I just wanted to kiss you…” Theo recited, his eyes closed, cheeks flushed.

That was enough for Liam, plunging back down to kiss Theo deeply.

Liam couldn’t ever pretend he was fine. He couldn’t ever pretend it didn’t bother him, that he wasn’t traumatised beyond belief and struggling to get through the nights. He couldn’t stop waking up screaming and he couldn’t stop the feeling that sometimes he was being watched. The panic attacks still came, and the tears still woke him. He wasn’t sure he would ever fully trust anyone again.

But after, when Theo and Liam were both bordering on sleep, Liam managed a whisper. “I love you, Theo.” He said softly.

He half expected Theo to stop him (and he had long since realised Theo’s desire to stop him stemmed as much from his own feelings of inadequacy as they did a desire to protect Liam) but instead, he heard Theo sleepily murmur back. “I love you too, Pup.”