All We Need

Theo laid in bed, his body shaking with sobs. He clutched his sides, trying to suppress the hiccups. He put his hand over his mouth to try and keep quiet, but that didn't help at all.

He heard a knock on his door and then it silently opening. He tried to act as if he was sleeping, but the trembling of his body was a dead give away. Slowly, the light from the doorway disappeared and Theo heard soft footsteps heading in his direction.

He felt the bed dip beside him and then strong arms were wrapping around him. He already knew it was Liam by his scent, but also because of the warmth and comfort his arms bring.

Theo tried desperately to stop his tears to no avail. His muffled sobs did grow softer after awhile of Liam stroking his arm softly and whispering sweet nothings into his ear.

Gently, Liam flipped Theo onto his other side so they were facing each other. Liam looked heartbrokenly at Theo's sickeningly pale, tear stained face as Theo's bottom lip began to tremble again.

Liam pulled Theo into another embrace and kissed his forehead, stroking his hair soothingly. Theo buried himself as far into Liam's arms as possible, nuzzling his face into Liam's chest.

Liam was still taken back at the fact this was Theo Raeken. The same Theo that tried to kill Stiles and steal Scott. The same Theo that worked for the Dread Doctors. The same Theo that killed his own sister. The same Theo they sent to Hell and then brought back. It was...different, seeing him so vulnerable. This boy had taken the expression "To hell and back" and made it a reality; so Liam understood where this was coming from. But it was still weird having someone that went to extreme lengths to ruin lives, here crying himself to sleep.

"Why are you doing this?" Liam heard Theo ask in an almost inaudible whisper.

"Shh... We'll talk later. Just go to sleep." Liam continued to stroke Theo's hair, switching from his head to his arms every few minutes. He continued until he heard Theo's heartbeat steady itself and his breath became even. Liam too fell asleep once knowing Theo was safe and okay, or well, as okay as Theo could be.

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Theo was the first to awake as sun rays hit his face. Slowly becoming aware of his surroundings, he realized he was still wrapped in Liam's arms. A blush quickly spread across his cheeks as Liam began to stir, eyes slowly fluttering open.

Theo carefully tried to wriggle out of Liam's hold, but was suddenly pulled closer.

"Stay... Just a little bit longer." Theo immediately relaxed and slowly drifted back into Liam's welcoming embrace.

"You don't -You don't have to do this..." Liam holds Theo tighter against his chest.

"I know I don't, but I want too. You've been through a lot. More than I could ever imagine. Even though you messed up in the past, it doesn't mean you're unforgivable. We all make mistakes, but everyone deserves a second chance, even you. You shouldn't have to do this alone. You shouldn't have to suffer. I'm gonna stay right beside you until I know you're okay and even then some. But I don't want you to feel like it's always you against the world, because it's not. I'm right here. You can trust me."

Theo felt tears spring to his eyes, even though he was already tired of crying. He finally had someone he could fall back on. That was something he had never had before. He finally felt safe, maybe even so far to say he felt loved.

They both laid there, wrapped in each other's arms, legs intertwined. This was all they wanted. This was all they needed.

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It's short with a crappy ending, but oh well. Hope you like it! (Also posted on Ao3.)