The Kiss Thing (THIAM)

Chapter 3

Liam can't decide if it was the worst dinner ever or the best.

His stepfather didn't say a word about the kiss in the middle of the hallway thing, but Theo's face stayed red all the time anyway. It was fun.

Maybe he's just gonna stay like this forever now, like an overcooked lobster really embarrassed about being overcooked, and Liam is happy because he did that. Well, the kiss thing did that. His stepfather did that, specifically, but Liam had a part too.

Theo made him change the colour of his curtains, but Liam made him change his face colour. He feels weirdly proud about it.

"I made Theo blush" he texts Mason, just as Theo enters his room.

He's not red anymore. Asshole.

"I'm gonna read you my paper now" he announces and Theo snorts, but he still goes to lie down on Liam's bed.

It's not like Theo knows anything about the Roman Empire and can correct Liam if he wrote some absurdity, but it still feels right to do this before delivering the paper to the teacher. Theo is a very good listener, he never interrupts Liam, unlike Mason, especially because he pretends to not listen to him, but Liam knows that deep down he's impressed by his history knowledge. Liam knows that because Theo said so at the zoo.

When he gets to the multiple causes of the fall of the Empire, Liam gets excited and starts walking around the room and when he sits back he does it on his bed, next to Theo, leaving his desk chair empty.

"Did you like it?" he asks at the end.

Theo is still wearing Liam's lacrosse hoodie and he's absently playing with the laces of the one Liam is wearing right now. Maybe he wants that too, because one hoodie is not enough. Selfish asshole.

"I didn't really listen."

Theo shrugs and looks up at Liam. The corner of his mouth is doing the thing again, the little smirk that's not really a smirk but looks like it wants to be.

There's an amused spark on his eyes.

Liam kinda loves those eyes.

"I like your" Liam says and then he gains control of his tongue again and stops abruptly. Theo raises an eyebrow, questioning, and Liam clears his voice. "Hoodie."

Theo keeps staring at him. "It's yours."

"Exactly."

There's silence in the room for some seconds, then Theo starts unzipping the hoodie, revealing the white shirt underneath. Liam places his hand on Theo's, stopping him.

"Keep it" He says. Theo looks at him like he's waiting for something and the skin of his wrist is warm under Liam's fingers. Liam swallows. "I'm going to sleep now."

Liam is aware that they are in his room and he's already in his own bed, but he can't just stay there doing nothing after he said he'll go, so he just goes.

He sits on Theo's bed and waits, unsure of what do to now. Maybe Theo is gonna walk out of Liam's room and throw him out of his, sparing him the embarrassment. Of course Theo doesn't. He's probably enjoying this, the asshole.

Liam is not gonna give in first.

Besides, Theo's bed smells nice. It smells like him.

***

"Why did you sleep in my bed, you weirdo."

When Liam opens his eyes, Theo is rummaging in his wardrobe and he's not wearing Liam's hoodie anymore. His hair are wet and there's just a tiny white towel tied around his waist. His legs are muscular and tanned and his abdomen seems to come straight out of a fitness magazine. Liam doesn't even know where those arms come from.

Liam didn't sleep with Theo, so Theo totally slept in Liam's bed too and he has no right to mock Liam. He wants to let him now, but he can't find his voice right now, so he just runs to the bathroom while Theo puts on one of his ridiculously tight sweaters, the one that stick to his shoulders like a second skin, emphasizing every muscle. He does it on purposes, that's why girls in school are always staring at Theo. He's so vain it makes Liam sick.
He shouldn't be allowed to dress like that, Liam thinks while the cold jet of the shower hits his body. He should just stick to Liam's hoodie: it looks nice on him and the girls at school wouldn't look at him and inflate his ego even more.

Liam rubs his hair with a towel, glancing at his unmade bed.

His red hoodie is on the pillow, all creased and in reverse.

Liam takes it in his hands and he can already smell Theo's strong scent.

He imagines for a second to bring the fabric closer to his face and burying his nose in it.

He doesn't, because he's not a weirdo.

He wears it, tough.

***

When he walks out of his room he immediately clashes face first against something.

"We said we were doing the kiss thing today too" Theo's lips, the something, move away from his as he shrugs and goes downstairs, leaving Liam wide-eyed and without air in his lungs.

"How many times?"

Theo looks up from his pancakes, a big drop of maple syrup hanging from his upper lip and a questioning look in the eyes.

"What?"
"The kiss thing" Liam says, taking a sip of his coffee. "We haven't specified how many times we need to do it today. Are we done or-"

"We can do it how many times you want."

Theo looks so beautiful saying that.

"Okay." Liam nods and then he leans on the table, quickly licking the syrup from Theo's lip.

"Do you guys need a lift to school while I go to the hospital?"

Theo is a lobster again and Liam loves him.

"We're okay, dad, thanks."

It. Liam loves it.