"Don't you live in California?" Eric asked, shoving Liam to the side so he could get a better angle to see the pack.

"Yeah."

"So why are they here?" He hummed, even while waggling his fingers in a little wave. Scott's head tipped to the side in confusion but he returned it with a whimsical smile.

"I don't know." Liam said quietly. His immediate thought was that someone had died but everyone was there, hovering by the smoking car looking at Liam with wide eyes like finding Liam in Idaho, where he said he'd be, was a completely bewildering turn of events.

"Hey! Why are you here?" Moe asked, leaning out of the window enough that Sammy had to quickly lean over and grab his belt buckles before he could topple right out.

"I mean no one's dead so-" Liam's words died on his tongue as he thought of the other reason they might be there.

They'd come to take him home.

It would explain why they'd been so understanding about him staying with Theo. This way they could just drag Liam home rather than having to fight with him over the phone.

"We're the goldfish alien." Liam breathed. Four pairs of eyes turned on him in confusion.

"What?"

"It's a trap." Liam said.

"You mean admiral-" Liam didn't wait for Theo to finish just launched himself at the door. "Liam, wait-"

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Liam growled. He slammed the door behind him before Theo could get out and stalked toward the pack. They'd forced him to go to some random pack on the full moon so that they could find him.

"Us?" Stiles snorted "You're the one who-"

"I'd shut up." Lydia said, gently patting Stiles on the arm. Liam turned to Scott.

"I tell you I need some time and you trick me into coming to Idaho so you can come and get me?"

"What, no-" Scott said eyes widening.

"You realise how fucked up that is? I trusted you and you just-"

"Liam shut up."

"Excuse-" Liam hissed, spinning on Theo, just in time to see Sammy pulling out of the car park, Eric and Moe watching out the back window with a complete lack of discretion.

"I said shut up. Don't jump to conclusions. I'm sure they have a great explanation for stalking you through multiple states. Right?" Theo turned to Scott, eyebrow raised.

"We were worried." Scott said.

"Worried?" Liam asked stiffly.

"Yeah, you and Theo were meant to-"

"I'm not going home yet." Liam snapped.

"Okay." Scott placated. "But you were meant to call yesterday. And when you didn't-"

"We thought Theo killed you." Malia said.

"Theo, get in the car we're leaving." Liam growled.

"Yes dear." Theo drawled, not moving from his spot.

"Or you killed someone and he was helping you hide the body and flee the country." Mason added.

"Or Derek's track record with trusting people turned out to still be crappy and the pack was going to kill you." Stiles hummed, Derek finally looked up from where he'd been leaning against his camaro, sunglasses on with the distinct expression of someone who'd rather be anywhere else to shoot Stiles a glare.

"We were totally hauling ass to rescue you dude." Mason assured.

"Rescue me?" Liam snorted. "Why would I need-"

"Your phones were off. We couldn't get in touch with Sammy, I thought they'd kidnapped you." Scott said earnestly. "Or that Monroe had found you, I don't know, I was worried and-"

"You were just coming to make sure we were okay?" Liam asked tentatively, visibly deflating. The pack worrying about him he could deal with.

"Yes." Scott said.

"Sure, we weren't hoping Theo had been murdered already at all." Stiles said lightly. Liam grit his teeth, biting back a retort.

"As fun as this has been-" Theo snorted, finally moving over to the truck without as much as a glance at the pack. "We've got a road trip to complete so let's go-"

"Nope." Mason said, grabbing Liam's arm as he moved to follow Theo. "Dude, we drove like, fifteen hours straight you can't just leave the second we get here!"

"Pretty sure he can." Theo grumbled.

"Are you hungry?" Scott asked taking Liam's other arm "We could go eat? You could tell us about your trip." Liam looked to Theo, worrying for a moment that he would join in the grabbing Liam trend and Liam would end up as the rope in an awkward tug of war. Instead, Theo was still by the truck, arms rested on the rim of the bed looking at Liam with his eyebrows raised in a way that Liam knew meant 'Your call but if you choose what I think you'll choose I'll bitch your ears off for the next hundred miles'. Liam waggled an eyebrow back, a move which meant Theo rolling his eyes.

"Fine." He gruffed. "We drove past a diner on the way back from the camp. Turn right, drive straight for fifteen minutes."

"Okay, okay." Scott said, grinning like Christmas had come early. "Great. You mind giving someone a lift? Only three of us can fit in Derek's-"

"Uh Scotty. I think you're forgetting about someone." Stiles said.

"Dude the jeep can wait-" Scott started.

"I'm not leaving her behind."

"We'll come and fix it later but-"

"Scott!"

"Technically she's mine now so-"

"Liam lets go." Theo prompted. Liam took off towards Theo's car, before he could get there Lydia was climbing into the passenger seat. The two boys froze by the truck, eyes flickering to meet one another over the window.

"Uh, Lydia-" Liam started.

"It's been ten hours since we stopped at a bathroom." Lydia said calmly. "I'm not waiting for them to finish arguing to find one."

"There's a forest right-" Theo began. Liam couldn't see the look Lydia gave him but it was enough for his mouth to snap shut. "Let's go then." He decided, climbing into the driver's seat. Liam hopped into the back seats with a huff. Before he could close the door Mason and Corey were diving in after him Mason shoving him along so he could fit comfortably in the middle. Theo started the car before anyone had time to put their seatbelts on, or, in Corey's case, even shut the door. Liam hoped it was because he was just trying to keep from getting any other uninvited guests to the car and not that he was planning to drive them all into a fiery grave so he wouldn't have to deal with a McCall pack play-date.

It was safe to say that after almost two weeks of living in the truck Liam had gotten pretty used to being in it with Theo and all that it bought. Silly questions, dumb conversations, even dumber arguments, the occasional (not that he'll ever admit it out loud) sing along session, which most of the time consisted of one of them singing along to a song only to piss the other off, He'd gotten used to the silences too, there were the tense silences after an argument, when neither of them would reach over and put the music on as if they wanted to sit and soak in the bitterness of it, the exasperated silences where the conversation died after a bad joke. The tired silence, when Theo was on his fourth cup of coffee and Liam was pretty sure he wouldn't understand a word he tried to say with that much caffeine pumping through his system, werewolf or not. There were the 'deep and brooding' silences, the peaceful silence where Liam would watch the scenery as it passed or watch the glow of headlights streak across Theo's face when it was too dark to see anything else, and finally the awkward silence, one that, surprisingly, didn't happen all that often.

Liam had been pretty sure he'd been through just about every scenario possible when driving. He was proved wrong because being stuck in the truck with Theo, Mason, Corey, and Lydia was unlike anything he'd experience.

Maybe it was because he was the only one who seemed really at ease with being in the car. Theo's hands were gripping the steering wheel a breath too tight leaving it creaking, his finger tap tap tapping at it. Lydia shifted every few seconds hands folding and unfolding in her lap. Corey looked a shade too pale and vaguely ill and Mason. Well, Mason sat cheeks puffed up shifting the air from one side of his mouth to the other with a soft tick like a clock.

When the diner finally crept into the view ten minutes later Liam was ready to throw himself out of the car and run right back to the were-camp. He didn't bother pointing out that Theo must have been driving far too fast for them to be there already. Lydia launched herself out of the door before Theo had even begun to park, dashing off to the diner doors in a surprising show of agility for someone in heals.

The three in the back-seat waited for Theo to stop the car before climbing out. Theo followed reluctantly. Mason and Corey scurried for the diner, Liam traipsing behind them.

"Liam." Liam turned back at Theo's call of his name, the chimera stood hovering by the truck, the door still open. "I'll come pick you up in a few hours, get me something when you're leaving."

"Or you could just come eat with us like a normal person?"

"I don't mind disappearing for a w-"

"Well, I mind." Liam snapped. "You're not ditching me to brood in a field. I dealt with the hermit pack you can deal with my pack." Theo thankfully didn't point out the fact that the Hermit pack and Liam didn't exactly have the same complicated backstory that Theo had with the McCall pack. Instead he just let out a sigh as he kicked the door closed and marched over.

"You realise literally no one else is going to want me there right?" Theo asked. Liam ignored it, just turned and pushed into the diner.

The uncomfortable silence continued inside. Corey and Mason on one side of the booth and Theo and Liam on the other. Liam worked on slowly shredding a napkin while Corey stared lifelessly at his menu and Mason seemed to be trying to catch Theo in a staring contest that Theo was happily avoiding by glaring at the side of Liam's face with an expression that said 'there, you happy now? I came and now everyone's uncomfortable' Theo's phone sat on the table, plugged into a socket on the wall, screen buzzing every few seconds as missed calls from Scott came up.

Lydia joined the silence when she returned from the bathroom. Sitting down and inspecting her nails with a practiced nonchalance.

Liam prayed for the waitress to come and take their order because at least that would force someone to speak. Instead the waitress steered clear of the table, no doubt sensing smothering tension from the table. He racked his brain trying to come up with something to say.

"Theo refuses to have sex for money." Liam said. All eyes found him instantly, Lydia lowered her hand slowly. Eyes shifting to Theo, then back to Liam.

"I think context might be important here." She said. Liam almost cheered, no matter how stilted it was or the way Theo was muttering 'Jesus Christ' under his breath at least it was a conversation.

"I accidentally tried to get him to have sex for money." Liam explained. Which, didn't seem to clear anything up for the other three.

"How do you accidentally-" Corey started.

"You tried to pay him to have sex with you?" Mason squeaked. Theo laughed loud enough to draw the attention of everyone in the diner.

"What? No! Not, I didn't, I wouldn't pay to have sex with him! I just accidentally tried to agree to prostitution for him I didn't-"

"Why would someone think you were his pimp? You dress like you're poor." Lydia said. Liam would worry that Theo would die of suffocation from the way he was chocking on his laughter if he weren't so bitter about him laughing.

"It wasn't like that-" Liam huffed, why had he wanted conversation again? "-So we were waiting to film and Theo had finished being oiled-"

"Oiled?" Corey asked.

"I have a photo-"

"you have a photo of an oiled Theo? Why?"

"I don't- Just listen to the story okay?"

"What are we talking about?" Stiles asked, plopping down next to Lydia.

"We're not entirely sure yet." Lydia said. "Theo's not a prostitute. Liam may or may not be his pimp and Theo was covered in oil. Liam has a photo for proof." Stiles turned to Scott as he pulled up a chair.

"If we had stayed to fix the jeep like I said we should, we'd never have to be a part of this conversation."

Five minutes later and Liam had managed to finish the story of their first attempt at getting money on the road. Liam was fairly pleased to find it did a good job of breaking the ice. Enough that the waitress even braved coming to take their order. Something he was sure he regretted when she scrambled to write down the flurry of orders tossed her way. The atmosphere still wasn't exactly easy but it had tapered down into civil.

"Dude let me see photos." Mason said. "What was the grand canyon like? What was Vegas like? What did you do? Where are you sleeping? Are you-"

"One question at a time man." Liam snorted. "I've sent you pictures."

"Like three." Mason snorted. "And one of those was by accident." Theo's phone hit the table with a loud thunk.

"That's from yesterday." Theo said, nudging the phone towards Mason. Mason took it gingerly. Face lighting up in a grin as he looked at the photo. "Liam got stuck babysitting, they decided he needed a new hair do-"

"Really?" Liam sighed as Mason turned the phone to let him see the photo of himself with the mess of braids. Scott snatched the phone from him, snorting when he saw the photo.

"Dude you have to cut your hair." He said. "Is this the only one you have?" Theo shifted his eyes, flickering to Liam before he shrugged.

"There's a couple but Liam has most of-" Scott swiped, smile softening at whatever he saw. "Or you can invade my privacy, sure." Theo said.

"You went bowling?" Scott asked with a small laugh. Theo actually grinned back, he didn't even complain as Stiles stole his phone from Scott, the charger pulled, almost coming out before Stiles spread himself across the table so he could keep swiping without it coming off charge.

"Yeah, Liam sulked all night because we tied."

"Twice. Okay that's not normal." Liam insisted.

"Dude you have like stalker level number photo's of Liam on your phone." Stiles snorted, swiping through them quickly. The smile fell off of Theo's face as he yanked the cable making the phone jump out of Stiles's hands.

"You'd know all about being a stalker, wouldn't you? I mean, how long did you follow Lydia around for, before she gave you the time of day again?"

"You're such a di-"

"Who ordered the bacon cheeseburger?"

"Oh thank god." Mason sighed.

Liam sunk down in his seat as Theo and Stiles glared at each other over the table. This was going to be a long meal.