Taken in Snapshots: A Thiam One-Shot Collection

Love and Doubt

A/N: I'll be super honest: I have no idea what this is. This started as a Whump of "Liam falling in a well" because it's been a running joke between me and my friend shay (thank you for inspiring whatever this is) and... Honestly, other than "well" and "Thiam", I had literally no idea where this story was going or how it wound up the way it did. I hope you like it, despite how strange and bizarre it admittedly is haha.

For @chayaconnelly: as promised, Liam's in a well. <3

TW: Suicidal ideation, talk of death

Theo doesn't believe in superstitious fairy tale stuff-as crazy as that is to say. He's a chimera in a town filled with werewolves, kitsunes, banshee, and hellhounds, after all. Still, while he knows that the supernatural exists and works in mysterious ways, he cannot get himself to believe in things like shooting stars or wishing wells. They don't really make sense, in his brain: how can anyone make a wish-no matter how big or small-and just have it magically come true? Surely that amount of magic isn't free.

Nothing in this world is ever free. Theo knows that better than anyone.

Still, over the last few weeks, Theo has found himself standing in front of a wishing well, staring down into its depths.

It's like there's this pull, this thread wrapped around his-Tara's-heart tugging and tugging at him until his feet stumble their way through the preserve all the way to the well.

The first time he found himself in front of the well, it was a bizarre experience-he didn't know where he'd end up until he was there, staring at a seemingly normal well. He had sat there, that first time, and looked at the well for what felt like hours. He expected something to happen, maybe something bad-or at the very least supernatural. He expected to feel that buzz of magic in the air, to see some sort of creature climb out, to hear some siren song. Something.

Nothing happened, in the end.

Still, he followed that tug every time he felt it, even when he knew it would lead nowhere but that stupid old well. He followed it every time, so often that he found himself familiar with the old beaten path-so often that he could walk to that old well with his eyes closed.

Theo's not sure why he follows that tug, anymore-why he even bothers, when he doesn't believe in wishing wells and isn't entirely interested in ancient architecture. It's a waste of time, because all he ever does is run his fingers over the stones, or sit cross-legged in front of it for a few hours.

It's... peaceful, though. Quiet.

It's one of the only places in Beacon Hills he can actually lay down and rest without cops telling him to get lost, or without accidentally running into Scott and his pack of do-gooders.

It's a place all his own, where can just get lost in his head for a few hours.

Theo would like that-if it weren't for the fact that the last time he actually had a safe place, he ended up killing the one person he loved the most in the world there.

This place, it's just like Tara's bridge-just as quiet, and just as safe... and just as alluring.

There's danger in that, Theo knows. After all, the only reason he was drawn to the bridge was because three doctors in masks told him it was magical-told him it was special.

He's not sure what's luring him in, now-not sure what hidden evil is pulling at his heart-but he knows that it's not nothing. There's something here. Something evil.

Still, the only thing he ever finds-even with his supernatural senses on high alert-is that stupid old well.

It's not magic. It's not an actual wishing well. Theo doesn't believe in any of that.