[Thiam] Let Me Be Your Front Line: The Album

May 14-17

Theo is in the studio a week later recording his 7th song and it's just not working. The words are right, he knows that, but the way Lydia told him they would sound best is just... too harsh.

'Told my lover I needed time

To figure out my twisted mind

I've got all these stray thoughts in my head

And I don't know how they should be said.'

He sings, trying to make it work with the drumbeat thumping through the headphones. Lydia grins at him through the window but he frowns back. Liam meets his eyes and raises an eyebrow. Theo narrows his eyes back.

"That sounds good, Theo!" Brad calls through the headphones.

Theo hums in reply but continues to frown. He sees Liam sit forward in his chair out of the corner of his eye. His mouth moves and he obviously says something to the other people in the booth but Theo can't hear him. Things seem to get a bit heated before there's a crackle over the speakers and Liam's voice fills the room.

"What's not working?" He asks.

Theo blinks.

"How do you-?"

Liam glares through the glass so Theo doesn't even finish the question. Theo rolls his eyes and looks away.

"I don't like the beat." He mumbles.

Lydia whips around to stare at him.

"You said you liked it earlier!"

Theo coughs into his fist and stares at the ground.

"I don't know. I think it's too heavy for the song."

"We can change it." Brad says. "It's okay."

Theo nods.

"You do like the others though, right?" Lydia asks after a moment.

Theo nods furiously.

"You guys are doing a great job so far, really."

Liam is smirking at him through the glass when he looks over at him. Theo glares back and then shuts his eyes. He swears that he can hear Liam laugh at him.

"Do you want to just try it a cappella?" He hears Lydia ask.

"Can we just break for a bit?"

There's a crash that Theo can hear through the glass and he grins as he looks up. Liam looks like he's laughing loudly and his chair is on its side on the floor. That was the noise then.

"Eager are we?" He says with a laugh.

Liam turns to meet his eyes and Theo feels his lungs clench at how bright his smile is. They stand staring for possibly too long before Lydia clears her throat and knocks on the desk. Theo stands up sheepishly and makes for the door. Lydia is the first out of the sound room door and she puts a hand on his shoulder. When he looks over at her she's grinning madly and doing something frankly ridiculous with her eyebrows. Theo rolls his eyes and bares his teeth.

"Shut up." He whispers.

"I didn't say anything!" Lydia says innocently.

Theo feels Liam approaching before he's anywhere near him, the stickiness building up in the air before he fingers brush the back of Theo's arm.

"Anything I should know?"

Theo's face betrays him when he turns to Liam and he knows his mouth twists into something soft. He can't help it, even if it makes Lydia snort from his other side. Liam is grinning. He's still got his fingers pressing against the underside of Theo's arm and Theo suppresses a shiver.