What if I Stayed? (Thiam Fic)

Chapter Twenty

Liam was growing weaker and weaker. He could feel the poison coursing through his veins and he knew he wasn't going to make it out alive if he didn't get out soon. He was halfway up the wall. Only halfway and it had taken him hours. His entire body was shaking.

"Oh God," He muttered, feeling his fingers begin to lose their grip. "Fuck no no no. Fucking hell-"

He's cut off by his body giving out and the loud splash his body makes when it hit the water. The air is knocked out of his body with a gasp, the cold water seeping into his cuts that refuse to feel and causing the pain to sharpen.

Liam prided himself on not being a crier. He got mad, he didn't cry. But right now, the tears flowed freely as he sobbed. His whole body shook with sobs, pain and fear. He wanted to go home. He wanted his mom, his stepdad, Theo. He wanted out of this stupid well.

He wanted to live.

 "Help me!" Liam roared, howling for any form of help. "Theo! Theo!"

He wasn't sure why but he was stuck on Theo. He needed him. The same primal urge that had taken over him the night before was back but this time, it was different. Reversed.

"I know about your IED. I'm sorry you gotta deal with that shit." Theo gave an apologetic smile. They were sitting in Theo's truck after it had gotten out of the shop. The only time they'd really talked since... what had happened on the night of the full moon.

"Whatever. It is what it is." Liam muttered, "Gonna have to figure out how to balance it with werewolf powers."

"Can I help?"

"No I just.... I'm just annoyed." Liam didn't know how to explain himself, "I know I'm gonna get angry and my stepdad says people deal with anger in two ways."

"How?" Theo seemed geniunely interested, a change of pace form most people he talked to about this stuff aside from Mason. 

"They either hurt themselves," Liam could barely bring himself to say the next words outloud to Theo, "Or they hurt someone else."

The gutwrenching feeling of seeing Theo's nearly dead body twice ran through him. Is that what Theo would see with him? Or he find his actual corpse? Would he even care though? Liam hadn't exactly been friend, beta or whatever they were of the year to Theo. 

Did he even deserve to get out of this?

Theo's smile and laugh. The wrinkle of his nose whenever someone (Stiles or Isaac) did something stupid. The way his eyes crinkled when he found something funny. His scent, Theo always smelled like citrus soap, candles, coffee and a slight hint of metal. It was nice. The fact he licked his lips while deep in thought. All of it. It was all Liam could see. But he kept wondering what Theo saw in him, if anything at all. It wouldn't surprise him if Theo hated him.

"I- I can't do this. I can't do this. I'm sorry." He was sobbing, barely able to get out words. Liam stared back up at the light at the top of the well, watching it slowly fade. He knew his time was running out. He had an hour tops. 

"Keep fighting. I'm coming for you." Theo's voice was suddenly in his head, as if he knew that Liam was debating ending his own misery right there and then. "I'm not letting you die. Keep trying. I promise, I'll find you."

He knew it was in his head, probably the Wolfsbane making him go insane, Liam knew it but it's all he needed. Theo. Liam began to climb again.

And he wasn't stop until he got to Theo.

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"Liam?" Theo yelled, shouting into oblivion. He had his shirt gripped tightly in his hand as he tried to catch the scent. It was faint, mixed in with Garrett's shit scent.

Liam smelled like green apple shampoo, cinnamon cereal and spring water. Theo wasn't sure what the last one meant but it described Liam and that's what mattered. Besides, he priority was to find the source of the scent.

"Come on! Liam? It's me, Theo!" He shouted, "Liam!"

Panic was making it difficult to breath but he had to keep pushing to find Liam. That was his job. It was his purpose. Liam was his purpose.

His phone was buzzing with texts and calls from the rest of the pack. Theo didn't give a single shit. It was not as important as finding Liam. Whatever they were doing could wait. They could tell him later.

"I- I can't do this. I can't do this. I'm sorry." It was like a whisper, coming from all directions. A broken sob of a whisper. It made him sick, tears stinging his eyes. Liam.

"Keep fighting. I'm coming for you." Theo called back, yelling as loud as he could. Liam was alive. He was going to keep it this way no matter what. Liam just needed to hold on. "I'm not letting you die. Keep trying. I promise, I'll find you."

There was no response and Theo's heart sank.

"Liam? Liam!" He screamed, his throat raw. It hurt to talk but Liam still wasn't responding. "Liam!"

He started sprinting, following his gut. It was like he was being pulled and tugged by a string in the pit of his stomach. An invisible string that was tying him to Liam.

He was going to find him if it was the last thing he did. His mind was imaging all the horrible, awful thigns that might be happening to Liam. He started running even faster, turning into a coyote as he ran. His clothes fell behind him, yet he didn't care.

"Theo!" he heard the shout come from close by, turning to see a massive stone well. He had found him. He had found Liam.