Theo Raeken Imagines

The Lookout (Part Two)

 You arrive home late that night. The driveway is still empty other than Stiles' jeep, so you have a desperate, fleeting hope that you might be able to slip away into your room without being found out. Yet the second you close the front door behind you, the lights flick on in the kitchen, revealing the silhouette of your brother, who appears to have been waiting for you. You can tell from the glower on his face that this talk isn't going to be good.

You force yourself to crack a smile, hoping against hope that you might be able to sidle out of this without too much of a lecture. You have no idea when your father will be returning from the sheriff's station, and if Stiles tells him even a fraction of what you've been up to, the combined shame of the two of them staring you down will probably end up with you being grounded for life. "Have you been waiting here this long? I mean, I get the want for the dramatic lighting, but I think that's a little much."

Stiles, however, is not to be deterred. He stands up, folding his arms across his chest. "Do you know what time it is?" You squint at the clock across the kitchen, feeling your heart sink as you read the tiny illuminated numbers. "It's, uh, midnight." Stiles nods once, the mechanical motion betraying how irritated he is. "I'm going to assume that you have been out all night with Theo Raeken. Am I wrong?"

You hold up your hands defensively. "First of all, you have been out way later with Scott and the others, doing way more dangerous stuff than speaking to one boy. Besides, you're the one who told me to get close to Theo anyway. I'm just doing what you asked." Stiles gives you a look. "Scott and the others were my friends, I could trust them. Theo is dangerous, and I don't like the idea of you staying out this late with him. He could have killed you in a second, and there would have been nothing you could do about it."

You shake your head, walking further into the room. "He's not going to kill me." Stiles' eyes widen. "How do you know that? There is nothing stopping him from killing you and pretending it was something else. From the way you're talking, I'd think you actually cared about him. He doesn't feel the same way about you, Y/N, trust me. He's just using you, and I thought you knew enough to remember that, but I guess not." You flinch as if he's hit you. "Great talk, Stiles. I'll keep that in mind for the next time. I'm just a stupid, naive younger sister, who would never know more than you. How could I have forgotten?"

You're already starting to leave the room, but Stiles still moves to follow you. His tone is softening, as if realizing he's gone too far. "Hey, I didn't mean it like that. I'm just trying to watch out for you." You turn around to look at him one more time, and your brother draws back at the icy look in your eyes. "I can handle myself. I'd appreciate it if you at least pretended to believe that." With that, you spin around, heading back up the stairs and into the room. You can hear Stiles calling after you, but you ignore him, closing the door soundly behind you.

You flop onto your bed, staring at the ceiling. There's a part of you that knows he's right, that Theo is truly just using you. Yet you can still remember the kiss in the woods, the way he looked at you. Surely he wasn't faking that, right? You can only pretend so much, and there's no way he didn't feel at least something for you. You groan, covering your face with your hand. You've gotten in over your head, and you have no idea how to get yourself out of this.

You try your best to keep Stiles' words in your head when you see Theo the next day. You keep up the act, smiling when you talk to him and pretending that nothing has changed. Yet you force yourself to harden your heart, to know that this is a lie for both of you. But it's harder to remember that when he laces his fingers through yours absentmindedly, or when he steals a kiss between classes. It's hard to remember it at all.

The confrontation happens after a while. You knew it would, had been dreading this moment all along. This is the time when Theo finally reveals his true nature, that you had been wrong to trust him when you did. It happens at the library, when Theo first convinces Liam to try and kill Scott, and when that doesn't work, Theo tries to kill Scott himself. You heard the sounds of fighting and ran over to the library, standing horrified in the door as you watch the fight unfold. You have no claws or fangs, there's nothing you can do except stand there. It might be one of the most painful things you've ever done.

Theo throws Scott to the ground, the alpha battered and bleeding from claw marks on his arms and chest. Theo raises his arm, ready to deliver the killing blow, when Scott suddenly pulls a thin package up over his chest. Theo's claws rake through the paper-wrapped object, but then he rears back, holding up his claws. There's a yellow liquid coating his hands, running down his arm. He stares for a second, then names it. "Yellow wolfsbane." He turns now, sees you standing at the door. His eyes widen as he realizes what this means.

"You knew that I was a chimera, that I could only be hurt by yellow wolfsbane. You told Scott. You told all of them." Theo stands up, walking slowly towards you. You feel frozen, unable to move. "You were lying to me all along. You never loved me, you were just using me." You laugh bitterly. "And how is that different from what you did to me?" You can see the hurt in Theo's eyes, along with the realization that he'd done the same thing to you. Theo's chest is heaving, but his gaze remains locked on yours.

"I still loved you. Even when I didn't want to. I wish I could say the same thing for you." Theo says, and you watch with horrified eyes as the yellow wolfsbane flows across his arm, obviously hurting him. Theo stands there a moment longer, then his head jerks up as he hears the sound of footsteps in the hall outside. He turns, running so fast you can barely see him. There's a shattering of glass, and then he is gone.

Seconds later, Stiles races into the library. He takes in the sight of Scott on the ground, just starting to stir. Then his eyes lock on you, the way you're standing utterly still in the doorway. He rushes over to you, pausing when he sees the tortured look on your face. Stiles' face falls as he realizes what must have happened, and he pulls you close in a hug. You don't feel like you can move a muscle. Stiles speak softly. "It isn't your fault. He was the one who wanted to betray all of us." You nod slowly, but can't find the words to speak. It isn't just the sight of your brother's best friend, almost dead on the floor. It's the look in Theo's eyes, telling you that you might have actually hurt the boy you loved.

After that, it's obvious that Theo is against the pack, so there's no need for you to speak to him again. Theo keeps his distance, staying with his new pack. You avoid him in the halls, staying with Scott and Stiles and the others. You pretend you don't feel his gaze flickering to you, or that after everything, you still love him. Some things hurt more than feels possible.

One night after school, you're startled by a knock on your window. It's late, late enough that Stiles and your father have both gone to bed, so you grab a jacket before heading over to the window, curious. When you throw open the sash, you look around for a second before jumping back, startled. Theo Raeken is standing on your roof, hair blown slightly by the night breeze. You go to close the window again but his hand flies out, stopping you. "Wait. I need to talk to you."

You glance around behind you, making sure Stiles is still asleep and you can't hear anyone. You speak to Theo in a muted whisper. "What are you doing here?" Theo sighs. "I can't keep ignoring you. We have to talk." You consider this, then climb out of your window, bare feet touching down lightly onto the shingled roof. You slip slightly, but Theo catches you, pulling you close to him. You shiver slightly in the cold of the night, and he doesn't let you go.

"What could you possibly want to talk about?" You ask, forcing yourself to stay calm. "We both made our choices. We can't go back." Theo looks down at you, and for the first time you notice the stress and regret lining his brow. He might actually be having doubts, you realize, and you're not sure what to think. "If there's one thing I could change, it would be you. I didn't plan on falling in love with you, but I did. I just need you to let me know if you felt the same way, or if that was all a lie. If you say no, then I'll leave now and we can never talk to each other again. I just-" His voice breaks off, disappearing into the night. "I just wanted to know if there was a chance you felt differently."

"Yes."

Theo stares at you, something like hope flooding his eyes. "What?" You return his gaze. "Yes. I knew that I shouldn't fall in love with you, but it's not like I can stop now. I couldn't leave if I tried." Theo smiles now, a quiet smile that you don't think you've ever seen on him before. It isn't daring, or the usual cocky confidence. It's a genuine smile, a promise that he's willing to change. "Well, in that case I feel a little better about doing this."

When he kisses you, you can't help but think back to that first kiss in the woods. This is different, somehow. You don't have those same doubts about lying to him or about him lying to the pack. Maybe Theo is still considered an enemy of the pack, but you don't think he's going to hurt you. No, Theo is willing to stay with you no matter what. Even if it means sneaking out to rooftops like tonight.