Liam woke with the scent of fir filling his lungs and warmth radiating along his front, pushing into his skin. He kept his eyes closed, burrowing his head further into the pillow, his nose twitched as he felt hair tickling at it. Apart from the small brush of hair against his nose that told him was probably time to get a haircut he couldn't figure out why he'd woken up. He was still too tired and he didn't have to open his eyes to know the sun was still up, eyelids shining red from the bright rays seeping into the hotel room. A rattling buzz sounded from in his pocket leaving his thigh vibrating uncomfortably and solving the wake-up mystery. He let out a quiet huff.

Just for once he'd like to wake up without some outside force waking him up. His phone shook against his leg again. Liam let out another small huff, hand fisting in Theo's blanket ready to pull it over his head and attempt to ignore the phone. His plan was foiled however when his knuckles bumped against skin and he was forced to realise his arm was not curled in the blanket like he thought. Liam took a slow breath.

He was dreaming. A very weird dream, that was all.

Liam cracked an eye open slowly only to be met with a face full of brown hair. He swallowed the lump in his throat before opening the other eye. He peered at the back of the head of hair his nose was currently buried into. Fingers twitching from where they were still curled in the shirt. Liam tilted his head, just far enough to see he was indeed spooning Theo.

Liam opened his mouth to let out what would no doubt be a scream high enough to match Lydia's only to find himself breathing in a mouthful of Theo's hair, it turned his scream to a splutter as he spat it back out barely resisting hacking like a cat with a hairball. He scrambled away, unhooking his arm from Theo's waist and rolled unceremoniously off of the bed and hitting the floor with a dull thump.

Theo let out a quiet snort in his sleep. Liam barely dodging a slap to the face as he rolled over as if searching for Liam. Liam watched with baited breath as Theo stilled once more, his breathing still even and peaceful. His shoulders relaxed when he let out a quiet breath. Theo was asleep. Theo had no idea. Everything was totally fine.

It wasn't that he really cared about sharing a bed with a guy, he'd had enough sleepovers with Mason where they'd end up crashing onto Liam's bed together. It wasn't even that it was Theo, because, well, he'd slept in Theo's truck barely a foot from him enough times in the past few days that it didn't seem like that big of a deal.

The problem was that Liam knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that if Theo woke up to find Liam curled around him like a god-damn octopus completely blind to the concept of personal space he would never let Liam live it down, especially not after the blanket debacle the day before.

Liam shuddered at the thought of Theo waking up first, he'd probably have taken a picture to use to help mock Liam, and then, well then Liam would have had to mock him from being the little spoon which would have ended with them in an actual argument where Theo told him to shut up gruffly.

Crisis averted Liam thought happily, watching Theo's sleep lax face. Liam's phone gave another echoing rumble. Liam launched himself off of the floor, clawing the phone from his pocket and quickly hanging up before any more sounds could be made.

What if Theo woke up and could still smell Liam on the bed and realised it? Or what if Liam's patch of the bed was still warm enough, telling of the embarrassing secret....choke hold. Because it was not cuddling. He wouldn't cuddle Theo. It was sleep fighting.

Liam tapped a quick text to Mason saying he'd call in a minute before he was snatching the last of the money Theo left the night before from the table and sneaking from the room, woefully grateful he'd fallen asleep fully dressed so he didn't have to bother tiptoeing around to change, all he had to do was grab his shoes from by the door before he slipped out.

He scurried through the parking lot and away from the motel, phone clutched in his hands waiting for Theo to jump out and laugh at him. When he was far enough away that Theo's slow heartbeat had faded amongst the ruckus of the city and the anxiety of Theo waking up and knowing with one look at Liam's guilty face had abated slightly, he dialed Mason's number.

"Hey man, Sorry I was-" Liam started.

"You're an awful best friend." Mason said stiffly. Liam's footsteps faltered to a sudden stop, last dregs of sleep vanishing.

"What?"

"I mean dude, you go to Vegas with Theo, Theo?" Liam relaxed again, hearing the mocking tone in Mason's voice. The one that said 'yes I'm pissed but more in a 'you ate the last mozzarella stick' kind of way rather than 'delete my number' way Liam had expected. "And then! When you drop the 'Theo bomb' you don't even call me, or text me to say what the hell is going on. I had to hear it from Scott. I mean, dude, I'm wounded. Is Theo replacing me? Is that what's happening?" Mason asked.

Liam started walking again shaking his head with a small laugh.

"Yeah, Theo's my best friend now." Liam said dryly. "We braid each other's hair and have pillow fights. We like to gossip about how lame you are as well."

"I know you're joking but honestly, you do have enough hair to braid and I think Theo does too and now I'm totally picturing it."

"Well stop." Liam snorted. "No one is braiding anyone's hair."

"Then why did you take so long to answer the phone?"

"I was asleep." Liam said, ignoring the bubble of embarrassment at the words. "Theo still is so I had to leave so I wouldn't wake up him up-" Lest he take one look at my guilty 'I may have chokeheld you in your sleep' look and sentence me to a lifetime of mocking, Liam thought.

"You just woke up?" Mason asked. "Dude it's like five pm."

"We had a late night."

"Doing what?"

"You know, stuff." Liam shrugged, eyes flickering around him trying to figure out which way he needed to go to find somewhere he could buy some food.

"Stuff?"

"Mh-hm." Liam hummed, he gave up looking and instead took a deep breath hoping to scent track somewhere nearby with food.

"Okay dude. You know Stuff in Vegas generally means like, one of four things. Drinking, Gambling, getting married or getting laid. Sometimes all of the above and I know you can't drink so please tell me you have a new gambling addiction."

"I don't have a gambling addiction." Liam huffed. "I'm not allowed in any casino's without ID."

"Okay...Alright..Then tell me you married a stripper because I don't even want to think about the other-"

"I didn't get married." Liam said quickly, he heard Mason's breath stop. "Or laid! Dude get your head out of the gutter it's Theo."

"Yeah, who is like...painfully hot when you ignore his personality." Mason said, Liam bit back the urge to reply that Theo's personality was actually one of the best things about him when he was being a giant dick, and even then it was funny as long as he wasn't being a giant psychotic dick.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say Theo and hot in the same sentence because that's far too disturbing to even be able to think about." Liam said, finally deciding to go left, he started walking again, wandering down the street dodging drunks as he went. "And we watched star wars alright."

"Star wars?" Mason parroted.

"Star wars." Liam repeated. "We watched all of them...it was really long."

"So..rather than calling me back and explaining the Theo situation you were movie marathoning a series me and Stiles have been trying to get you to watch for like a year and a half?" Mason asked. "I think I'd actually be less insulted if you had been screw-"

"I would have called you." Liam said quickly, drowning out the end of Mason's sentence. "But I kinda..last night was weird alright? I freaked out when I saw everyone's messages and then I said some things and Theo left. It was just-"

"I was kidding dude." Mason sighed. "You should have told me though."

"Yeah, I've been hearing that a lot."

"I'm your best friend. Okay, If you're doing dumb things you should tell me so I can have your back and it's not like I'd have told anyone you were with Theo if you didn't want me to."

"I know."

"So why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know." Liam said honestly. "I just..didn't want to come home and didn't want anyone to give me a reason to." Mason was silent for a moment, Liam kicked at the pavement as he walked. "You near your laptop?"

"Yeah, why?"

"If I tell you where I am can you look up somewhere I can get food? This city smells."

"Like what?"

"Like sin." Liam grumbled. Mason let out a soft laugh.

"Alright man. I'm starting my computer up just give me a minute."

"Cool, I have to find another street sign anyway...So..How are you? How's life in Beacon hills?"

"Man screw Beacon hills." Mason said voice muffled, Liam was pretty sure the phone had been lodged between Mason's cheek and shoulder as he fiddled with his laptop. "I want to hear about what life on the roads like. Have you and Theo beaten each other up yet?"

"Not really." Liam said. "I mean, we've hit each other a few times, and there was the tampon thing but-"

"The tampon thing?"

"Oh..We uh..We may have gotten kicked out of Walmart after fighting in the uh..feminine hygiene aisle."

"Okay you have to tell me the full story of that but first, where are you and what kinda food are you looking for?"

"I'm at uh Marion street." Liam heard Mason tapping away.

"Alright.. well....there's a 50's diner nearby. I'll give you the directions if you tell me about the tampon fight."

"Deal."

*

Liam eventually ended the phone call to Mason with takeaway boxes filled with pancakes beneath his arm and the promise to send Mason the video of him and Theo on the zip line. The rest he'd promised he'd share when they got home.

His phone buzzed once more with a text from Theo that asked where he was. Liam replied quickly, irrationally worried Theo would use the excuse of him not being there to flee the state. Liam raised an eyebrow at his phone as Theo replied, no thank you for venturing out for breakfast at five pm, no I know what you did in your sleep just a simple 'Get coffee' that made Liam's brow furrow.

Still, he stopped at Starbucks on the way, smiling toothily past the rage boiling in him at the extortionate price and muttering a bitter thank you before he was making his way back to the Motel room.

Liam re-entered the motel room to find Theo packing, shoving their things into the duffel with a lack of finesse and the lingering scent of terror choking him. He winced against the smell, leaving the door open as he inched in, eyes flickering to the bed, the comforter balled up at the end like it had been kicked off. Theo's hair was still ruffled and sleep mused. His shoulders tense as he moved to close the overfilling bag.

"I got breakfast...and coffee." Liam said tentatively. Theo grunted in acknowledgment, yanking at the zip again. "Theo are you-"

"Go put it in the truck." Theo said, voice just a breath too loud. "Keys are on the side."

"Where are we going?"

"You wanted to find somewhere to sleep right." Theo said, apparently giving up in zipping up the bag. He hauled it onto his shoulder and grabbed at the still packed plastic bags of food and water they'd bought before finally turning to face Liam.

At first glance he looked fine, normal but Liam couldn't help but be drawn to the tension in his shoulders and the barely there tick of his jaw.

"Let's go." Theo snapped.

"Can I pee first?" Liam asked. Theo let out a put-upon sigh before he shouldered past Liam, despite his enhanced reflexes Liam barely managed to stop their breakfasts from tumbling to the floor.

"Make it quick." Theo gruffed. Liam rushed further into the room, dropping the food and Theo's coffee onto the table before he made his way to the bathroom. His nose curled against the faint smell of vomit.

*

Liam puffed his cheeks up, bouncing his tongue between the roof and the bottom of his mouth as Theo sat driving silently, minus the tapping, radiating fuck off vibes. He looked slowly between Theo's ever moving finger and Theo's face, slowly he let the air roll out of his cheeks and back into the car with a squelching sound that seemed to rattle around the truck. Theo's finger tapped harder, Liam wondered whether he could break the steering wheel with a single finger.

"You know we should have got like a fidget spinner or something when we went shopping." Liam mused. Theo didn't reply. Liam shifted in his seat leg begging to shift restlessly. Their food was left on the dashboard, the box of pancakes slowly going soggy. Liam opened his mouth, ready to try again only for Theo's hands to move from the wheel, tapping stopping as he picked up his coffee from the cup hold.

Liam couldn't help but notice the way Theo's lip would curl after every sip, his nose crinkling in distaste. He'd thought, when they first left Beacon hills, that Theo liked coffee. He'd order it black with extra shots, chugging it like it was going to give him the meaning of life but now Liam was all too aware of the winces. Of Theo's excited 'fuck coffee' when he'd won at the casino. Of what Theo looked like when he was actually enjoying a drink.

"You know, caffeine's not meant to be good for nightmares."

"Liam-"

"Which I know because I had loads when I first became a werewolf." Liam rushed, tugging at the hem of his shirt, eyes flickering out the window as Theo's jaw ticked. "There were these things, the beserkers, they're like these-"

"I know what Beserkers are." Theo snapped.

"Right..Of course. Well, I mean, it was my first proper supernatural fight. I mean, I got stabbed with yellow wolves bane but that was a hunter and I mean, I don't like wells anymore but the beserkers really...I don't know. They got to me and I kept seeing them, even when I was awake. I'd wake up screaming and-"

"Liam. I don't care about your nightmares." Theo sighed.

"This isn't about my nightmares." Liam said stiffly, finally turning back to Theo who's eyes were still training on the road, jaw clenched and hands wrapped in a white-knuckled grip on the wheel. "This is about yours-"

"I don't-"

"I could smell the fear." Liam said. The steering wheel creaked beneath Theo's grip. "And because I have a lot of nightmares too I know about them alright. I've looked into it, I've asked my Dad, who's a medical professional by the way, about it and caffeine, it's not a good idea."

"We're not talking about this."

"You can tell me."

"You gonna make me a friendship bracelet and braid my hair too?" Theo said. Liam was met with the image he was sure Mason had got earlier that day. Of he and Theo sitting on the floor, Liam's fingers carding through Theo's hair as he tied it in neat little braids.

"I'm serious." Liam said, shaking his head, banishing Theo in braids from his mind. "I didn't talk about it because I was..I don't know..embarrassed? I guess?" Liam gave a half-hearted shrug. "But I think it might have helped a bit, to talk about it."

"What, so you can tell me I deserved it again?" Theo asked with a bitter laugh. Liam was suddenly extremely happy that Theo had started driving them towards Utah, he was pretty sure if they hadn't been stuck on a one-way road Theo would have turned the car around and floored it to Beacon Hills. He swallowed down the guilt.

"I didn't-"

"No. You want to talk about it? Fine." Theo growled. "Thank you, for reminding me that I deserved it. Thank you for ruining what was probably the best day of my fucking life by reminding me what an asshole I am." Liam shied down in his seat. Theo didn't even bother to look at him as he berated him. "Thank you for bringing up all the crap that I thought we were here to forget."

"I'm-"

"Don't." Theo hissed. "Don't fucking apologise because you shouldn't mean it and if you say it and you aren't lying I'm going to have to push you out of this truck for being a moron. I don't want to talk about it, I don't need to talk about it." Liam grimaced as he felt a wave of the spicy scent of embarrassment hitting his nose. Theo's finger tapped against the wheel again, once, twice. "Just..Just figure out where we're going next." Theo finished, voice hushed.

Liam chewed his lip.

"I haven't been bowling in a while." Liam offered. Theo rolled his shoulders, Liam could practically see the weight falling off of them as he relaxed at the change in topic.

"The whole of Utah and you want to go bowling?" Theo scoffed, voice just missing the mark of their usual teasing, but the attempt was there.

"Well, after you beat me at air hockey I figure it's only fair I kick your ass at something." Liam said. The corner of Theo's lip twitched in a half-hearted smile.

"We can go bowling as long as you don't cry when you lose." Theo said.

"Did you miss the part about me beating you?"

"Did you miss the part where I'm amazing?" Theo snarked.

*

"Can we pull over soon?" Liam asked, eyes skirting out the window to the dark highway before he returned his gaze to Theo. Despite the fact that he looked calmer than that morning, shoulders less tense Liam could still pick out the bags forming beneath his eyes again. "We've been driving for hours."

"It must be very tiring for you sitting in the passenger seat doing nothing." Theo drawled.

"It's boring" Liam whined.

"You gotta get a license."

"Can't, My parents don't want me driving." Liam admitted, picking at his nails.

"Why not?"

"Because of my IED." Liam mumbled. "They think it'd be too dangerous to have me behind a wheel."

"Your road rage would be pretty epic." Theo said with a small nod. Liam huffed eyes shifting out the window as he shied down in his seat.

"Thanks." Theo was quiet for a moment, his finger tapped against the wheel again. Liam's eyes returned to Theo in time to catch him eyeing Liam, brows drawn together.

"Do you want to learn?"

"What?"

"To drive. Do you want to learn? You don't need your parent's permission to practise."

"I'd need their money to get a car."

"I don't know if you've noticed this. But I have a car."

"Thought it was a truck." Liam hummed. Theo rolled his eyes and stopped in the middle of the road for the second time in two days.

"If you want to start learning then you can have a go." Theo said, waving to the wheel. Liam's eyes flickered between the steering wheel and Theo.

"You serious? You'd let me drive?"

"Would I sit in the passenger seat doing nothing while you have to focus for a while. Yes. Definitely."

"But I'm not meant to-"

"Do I look like your mother?" Theo huffed. Liam shook his head, despite knowing it was probably meant to be a rhetorical question. "We're on a straight road with no other cars around. What's the worst you could do?"

"Are you really going to tempt fate like that?" Liam asked.

"Do you want a driving lesson or not?"

"You're actually serious about this?" Liam asked tentatively. Theo groaned but made no other attempt to reply, just hopped out of the car and made his way round to the passenger side. Liam felt excitement streaking through his chest, a wave of warmth coddling his heart.

The door opened.