He wasn't sure how long they stood there, curled together and ignoring the world. Long enough for their foreheads to meet in the middle, pressed against one another softly as they shared breath and pretended that they could stay exactly where they were forever. But, as much as Liam wished that the moment could last forever, as much as he clung onto it like Stiles to the last curly fry in a share box, he knew it couldn't. That time would keep going no matter how much they wanted it to stop.

And Theo knew it too; his hand loosened on Liam's neck, his lips ghosting along Liam's in a soft brush that didn't even begin to scratch the itch that Liam had before he was pulling back. Stepping towards the fire leaving Liam's hands reaching at thin air and his heart in his throat.

"So what do we do now?" Theo asked, eyes glowing with the embers and it was back to the real world. Time moved, the waterfall roared and Liam knew that Theo knew he was right. That as much as he hated the idea of saying goodbye, it was what was best. Despite knowing it was a win, finally in his favour, he couldn't bring himself to be too happy about it. He was sure winning wasn't meant to hurt.

"I mean, I'd still like a lift back to Beacon Hills." Liam said dryly. Theo's lips twisted in a smile, soft and small. "You are my chauffeur after all."

"Of course." Theo nodded. "Best damn chauffeur you've ever had, right?"

"Oh, definitely." Liam grinned. Theo looked up to meet his eye, and it broke the smile on his face, expression falling as his eyes flickered over Liam like he was looking for the last time.

"You want to stay don't you?" Liam asked.

"I do." Theo said, a sigh slipping out of him as his eyes returned to the fire. Liam held out a hand, the bracelet tucked into his palm, beads glinting in the firelight.

"Then stay." Liam said. Theo swallowed, eyes on the bracelet and fingers tapping at his side before he reached up slowly. Liam tried to ignore the pain shooting through him as Theo raised a hand, fingers picking the bracelet out of Liam's palm. Liam choked back the lump in his throat as Theo slipped the bracelet onto his wrist, a silent agreement.

"You know, If we're doing long distance, you're gonna have to be better at messaging me than you are your Mom." Theo said softly.

"Wha–Oh my god." Liam squeaked, feeling the blood drain from his face as he realised just how long it had been since he talked to his parents.

"Holy shit, she's going to kill me. I need to–" Liam wriggled away from Theo, struggling to get his phone out of his pocket.

"I wouldn't." Theo said calmly. Like he hadn't been knowingly leading Liam home to the slaughter for God knows how long. "I told her you broke your phone."

"You... What?"

"I've been sending her updates since Idaho part one." Theo said, digging out his own phone and scrolling through a ridiculously long text thread so Liam could see the countless embarrassing photos of him Theo had sent to his Mom. "I'm pretty sure you're grounded till your twenty one for not calling her for this long though."

"Why the hell didn't you remind me?"

"You wanted to get away from beacon hills. I figured it'd be easier to do that if you weren't worrying about having to convince your parents you were fine and didn't need to come home yet every few hours."

"That's just–" Liam huffed half-heartedly, anger leaking out of him the moment he opened his mouth. "Well... That's–"

"Smart?"

"Really sweet." Liam breathed.

"I'd prefer smart." Theo hummed.

"Like super thoughtful."

"I mean it was just less annoying than having to physically trying to remind you all–" Liam shut Theo up by pressing their lips together, enjoying the way Theo's words died out in a small puff of breath like he'd been punched, and his hand immediately crept up to Liam's side.

"Thank you." Liam murmured, going to pull back. Theo followed him, chasing his lips, and Liam inched further back reluctantly. "We should call Sammy, let her know you want to join." Liam said, Theo made a soft noise of agreement before he was capturing Liam's lips again and drawing him into a kiss that left Liam's toes curling. He broke away panting. "–And Guns, so they can start getting your room–"

"You know what you should do?" Theo asked, teeth finding Liam's collarbone and nipping at it hard enough to tell Liam to actually listen. "Shut up and make out with your soon to be long distance boyfriend while you can." He finished, latching his mouth onto Liam's throat and doing his best impersonation of a vampire as he sucked.

"That's..." Liam started. "Yeah, that's a good plan." He decided, pushing Theo's head back up so he could connect their mouths again.

The two lost themselves in the kiss, rolling around on the uncomfortably hard floor until Liam was fairly sure he'd forgotten how to breathe.

"Fuck." Liam hissed as Theo gave a particularly hard suck on his neck that made his head fall back. Theo stopped, mouth pulling away only far enough for Liam to be able to feel him smirking against his skin.

"I would." Theo purred. "But weirdly enough I don't bring lube into the middle of the forest." Liam let out a soft snort of laughter that hitched when Theo returned to leaving Liam a hickey that would have no doubt healed in a half hour.

"Okay one: Didn't mean it like that, asshole." He huffed. "And two, You know you'd be a terrible Boy Scout right?" Theo pulled back, brow pinched, cheeks a rosy red and lips puffy.

"What the fuck kind of things did you do as a Boy Scout?" He said.

"Nothing, no I just... always be prepared, you know!" Liam said. Theo snorted, soft at first and then loud and honking as he laughed at Liam. "Really?"

"First your Mom." Theo cackled. "And now Boy Scouts."

"Dude–"

"We're gonna have to tape your mouth shut if you ever want me to touch your dick again, I swear to God." Liam couldn't help but grin as Theo chuckled, low and joyful. Liam settled his head on Theo's collar, closing his eyes and listening to the rushing of the waterfall and the soft beating of Theo's heart.

*

The two woke before the sun rose, with the rocks from the cave floor jabbing into their backs uncomfortably until they finally crawled up off of the ground. They made their way in a stumbling trail back through the forest as an orange glow crept over the horizon and bathed the forest in an iridescent light that glinted off of the morning dew, like the stars had found a new home on the leaves. Despite knowing it was the end, that he was actually finally going to return to Beacon Hills he felt at peace as he settled into the truck.

"You ready for this?" Theo asked, starting the car and turning out of the car park onto the road.

"Yeah." Liam said, eyes flicking to the forest, slowly disappearing behind buildings as they drove. He returned his gaze to the front window, watching the road ahead as he gave a small nod. "Let's go home."

"I'm already home." Theo said softly. Liam felt his heart skip a beat, eyes widening.

"That's... wow, that's like the sweetest thing you've ever said to me." Liam breathed "I uh–"

"I was talking about Idaho, you dipshit." Theo interrupted.

"Oh." Liam said. "I knew that." He amended. "Of course I knew that." Liam scoffed, face heating so fast he worried he was about to spontaneously disintegrate. A laugh cracked out of Theo's lips, quiet and muffled, but it quickly broke into a full blown cackle.

"You thought–"

"No! Shut up!" Liam tried desperately, Theo only laughed harder. Liam screamed when Theo took both hands off of the wheel, covering his face as he tried to smother the still ringing laughter.

"DUDE THE ROAD!" Theo slammed his foot on the break, drawing the car to a skidding halt before he was collapsing onto the wheel, head burrowed in his hands as he all but screamed in laughter. "You're a fucking asshole." Liam groused, even as a small smile fought its way onto his face at Theo's unbidden laughter.

*

The day passed as quickly as the miles. The music on loud enough for Liam to head bang along to the few good songs that came over the radio and for Theo to blurt out the lyrics to the terrible songs in the most annoying voices he could manage, but low enough for dumb conversations to flow between them.

"You know the thing that'll be good about leaving–" Theo said, picking a chip out of the bag on the dash and tossing it into his mouth. He bit it with a crunch that sounded particularly satisfying. "–I won't have to listen to your snoring anymore."

"Really, you're not bored of taking the piss out of me for that yet?"

"Oh, Pumpkin," Theo started, voice a gentle hum. "I will never get bored of taking the piss out of you."

"You drool." Liam grumbled. Theo gave a shrug, like that little slice of truth really didn't bother him.

"Dude, come on."

"Feed me."

"What?"

"Feed me and I'lll think about it." Theo said, nodding the packet sliding on the dash as they turned a corner.

"You've got to be kidding."

"It's my last road trip wish." Theo said.

"You're an idiot." Liam huffed, snatching up the packet and pulling a chip out. The smile that lit up Theo's face was frankly ridiculous. "This is the only time this is ever happening."

"Sure." Theo snorted. Liam held out a chip to him which he took smugly, teeth snatching it from his fingers too close for comfort.

"So, will you stop with the snoring jokes?"

"Feed me another and we'll see."

"For fu..." Liam broke off with a huff, grabbing another chip and holding it out to Theo. "You know, technically–"

"Oh God, here we go." Theo sighed dramatically. Liam stuck a middle finger up at him.

"Technically! You can't mock me for snoring anymore anyway."

"Really? And why's that?"

"Well you said if I gave you orgasms you wouldn't care about my snoring."

"When the hell did I–" Theo broke off, the bitter and pinched expression that shadowed over his face proved to Liam that Theo did in fact remember what he was talking about.

"So, you'll stop mocking me for snoring?"

"Well," Theo stalled, a smirk stretching across his lips. "I said orgasms, plural so–" Liam grabbed a handful of chips and shoved them unceremoniously into Theo's mouth, half of them crushed against his face, crumbs dropping onto his chest and legs while he choked on the others.

"Douchebag." Liam grumbled, dusting his crumby hand on Theo's pants as Theo tried and failed to stop the coughs that sent bits of chips spraying over the dashboard.

The sun rose above them, West Coast heat pumping through the car as they kicked up sand spilling through the Nevada deserts. A warm wind roared through the car, ruffling their hair and leaving them shouting over it to the music amongst the unseeing eyes of the desolate plains.

Despite Theo breaking just about every speed limit on the way, the Sun was still dipping below the horizon as they pulled across the border to California. It was strange, despite the roads being different to the ones they'd left on, it still looked familiar, like everything was slowly shifting back into place. The once unfamiliar roads now similar in a way that didn't make sense. It felt like waking up from a dream, when the world's quiet and everything is familiar, but just a bit off. The sense of what's real and what's not slowly returning leaving you with a taste of... Something. Like smoke dancing through fingers.

Theo pressed his foot on the gas, and the wind swirled through the truck, the night rept on as the moon loomed overhead and they kept driving.

*

"I see we're going for a classy last meal." Liam hummed when Theo climbed into the small nest of blankets Liam had created in the bed of the truck, Mcdonald's bag dangling from his fingers.

"It's 3am; everywhere classy is closed." Theo said, tossing the greasy bag Liam's way and settling in beside him. "But, I got your favourite: Egg McMuffin right?"

"I'm breaking up with you if you actually got me a McMuffin." Liam said.

Theo's lips twitched in a grin.

"I would have, but they don't serve breakfast for another couple of hours."

"What a shame." Liam drawled.

Theo snatched a packet of fries and a burger, replacing them with a milkshake that Liam took gratefully. He took a sip, eyes moving from the field around them to the dark star speckled sky above them. It looked next to empty compared to the views Liam had gotten used to from weeks of sleeping in the middle of nowhere, where the stars were splattered across the sky like someone had thrown a handful of glitter into the dark. Where the only sounds were the cicadas and the brush of the wind, not the roar of the ever awake roads of California.

They'd stopped just shy of Beacon County and the presence of it was impossible to miss; with the orange glow to the sky that had the stars bleeding out of sight, leaving only a few. If he wanted, he knew he'd be able to pick out the patterns, make up fake constellations like he used to do with Mason.

"Eat up. It's better warm." Theo nudged.

Liam drew his eyes from the sky and scooped up a few fries. Theo picked at his own, biting off one end, flipping it and then biting the other. Liam rolled his eyes fondly at the now familiar way Theo ate like a freak.

He couldn't help but remember the first time they'd sat like this for a meal. How Theo's shoulder had been warm besides his and they'd bickered about school subjects. How the food was cold and Liam could barely taste it as excitement bubbled in his stomach whislt he looked over the dark expanse of the Grand Canyon before sunrise, wondering what it would look like when the sun finally broke over the horizon, whether it would be as cool as he'd always imagined. He remembered the soft ring of Theo's laughter, brittle and quiet like he wasn't quite used to doing it. The way he'd duck his head as if hiding it whenever Liam made a particularly obstinate point on how History was superior.

He remembered how he'd felt comfortable even when he tried to work out where he and Theo stood. The guilt he felt if he really thought about how easy it was to make jokes and have fun with Theo after all he'd done.

It felt like a world ago and in a way it was. It had been a world that's weight rested on Liam's shoulders like chains. A world where all he knew was too much responsibility, a world that Liam had to run away from before he crumbled under its weight. It had been a world where Theo had nothing, no one.

But, Theo had changed; his face was softer, the bags under his eyes–though still there from the hours of driving and sleeping in an actually fairly uncomfortable cave–were nothing like the ones he'd left Beacon Hills with. They weren't buried into his face like no amount of sleep would fix it. His skin had a golden tint from the hours in the sunlight. His hair was longer, unruly with the wind sweeping through it. He looked younger, happier, his lips turned up into a smile that Liam was sure he didn't even realise was there. Despite the weeks of unhealthy meals he looked healthy; even his eyes looked alive in a way they hadn't in Beacon Hills, a light behind them that didn't seem to be there before. Or maybe it was, sometimes, like on the first morning they'd eaten together in the bed of the truck. There, but dimmed, hidden by years of pain and mistakes. Opened up as he finally found things to be happy about. He was leaving with a handful of possessions that were well and truly his–no matter how dumb they were–and people who cared about him. When he left Beacon Hills he'd not only be leaving behind someone who would actually miss him, but going to a group of people who wanted him.

And Liam had changed too. He didn't feel the need to run anymore. He could go home, he could pick up the weight of the world knowing he was doing it.

*

The night passed as quickly as the day, the two curled together in the bed of the truck. Quiet conversations flowed between them as they let their eyes roam the sky and the other's face. By the time they were finally succumbing to sleep, sentences slurred with fatigue and half finished, Liam was sure he could see the hints of sunrise peeking over the horizon.

Still, sleep wasn't easy to come by when in the unrelenting sun of California and it wasn't long before the two were climbing back into the truck. The gas pumping as they carried on down the road.

Unlike the day before the car was quiet, the radio sat dead and the windows barely cracked open. Theo's finger tapped on the wheel, once, twice. Liam's eyes searched the now familiar highway, waiting for the sign to pop up on the horizon and officially end the road trip that they both already knew was over.

"We should do this again." Theo said, voice so quiet his tapping almost drowned it out. "Not the whole road trip." He added, "But parts of it."

"Well we can't go back to Disney World for a while." Liam said. Theo's lips twisted in a smile, a chuckle slipping past them as he ducked his head for a moment.

"I'm serious." He recovered, slowly, like he was testing the words on his tongue before he said them. "The Grand Canyon, Vegas. Not having to worry about the pack finding out where you are. No arguments–"

"It's us, there's gonna be arguments."

"Wouldn't you want to go there with your boyfriend rather than your kidnapped victim?"

"I didn't kidnap you." Liam huffed.

"Fine, your babysitter." Theo said. "It'd be..." His finger continued its tapping against the wheel, Liam saw a sign pulling over the horizon. "Doing that stuff, the water park, the Grand Canyon with you actually wanting me there not just needing a ride, it'd be nice." Theo muttered.

"I always wanted you here." Liam scoffed.

"No you didn't." Theo said, throat rumbling in a bitter laugh.

"I want you here now." Liam said earnestly. Theo's eyes flickered over to him, brow furrowing before he gave a small nod.

"Then let's go again." Theo said.

"Say a date and I'm there." Liam agreed. The tension in Theo's shoulders disappeared, a small smile fighting onto his face. His finger tapped, once, Liam reached out snatching the hand from the steering wheel and intertwining their fingers. The car didn't even swerve as Theo moved his other hand to control the wheel, fingers tightening around Liam's. The grin on Theo's face tugged wider. Liam smiled right back.

"Hey, Pumpkin," Liam let out a little hum of acknowledgement. "Welcome home." He gripped Theo's hand tighter, settling back into his seat as they watched the 'Welcome to Beacon Hills' sign glint in the sun as they drove past it. "Where too?"

"Mason's."

"You not gonna go see your Mom?"

"Once I do, I'm dead." Liam said seriously.

"Good point. Human's house it is." Theo said.

*

Liam had worried that Mason wouldn't be home. He'd only text him to say that they would be there soon a half an hour before Theo was pulling up at the curb. He knew the second they hit the street that the worry was unfounded. From the end of the road Liam could see the pack dotted across Mason's lawn, head turning like lost dogs looking for their owner.

"Oh, yay." Theo said dryly. "There's a welcome home party." Liam was barely listening to Theo's sarcastic commentary, too busy unhooking his seatbelt and launching himself out of the truck before Theo could even stop it.

"DUDE!" Mason cheered, rushing forwards. The two slammed into each other in a hug that knocked the wind out of Liam. "You're finally home!"