"You can't seriously tell me it's not confusing." Liam said, watching Theo as he unlocked the door to the motel room. Theo snorted a laugh, shoving his way into the room.

"I can and I'm telling you it's not confusing." Theo replied. Liam stomped in after him, kicking the door shut.

"Then weird." Liam clarified flopping down onto the bed.

"Oh, so now dating me is weird?" Theo hummed, toeing off his shoes. "Thanks for that."

"You know I'm right." Liam said eyes on Theo as he puttered around the room, setting his phone to charge and picking at the buttons of his shirt.

"I know nothing of the sort." Theo replied.

"Come on, just admit it's weird."

"I would if it was but it's not. Just use your brain and-"

"I am using my brain and my brain is confused." Liam said. Theo snorted again, pausing in his efforts to get his shirt off to level Liam a 'you're an idiot look' complete with 'I'm judging you' eyebrows.

"The date ends when it ends Liam."

"That's not an answer!" Liam scoffed. "I'm just saying it's like, unclear. I mean, for all we know we're still on a first date and it's just a really long one."

"No Liam." Theo laughed.

"But-"

"People who live together go on dates all the time. The date doesn't just not end because we're living in my truck." Theo said, unbuttoning his last button. Liam paused, momentarily distracted by the tanned planes of Theo's chest until Theo gave a small snicker that forced Liam's eyes to snap back up to meet his.

"Then when did it end?" Liam asked.

"Well I think Disney World ended when I punched you." Theo said thoughtfully. "The beach would be when you fell asleep mid-kiss-"

"It wasn't mid."

"You snored in my mouth."

"Did not." Liam grumbled.

"Did too. Then the concert was probably around the time you shoved me off a cliff and the eating contest would be around the time I pulled over so we could throw up."

"Then we're terrible at ending dates." Liam said. "Seriously, what happened to the old school kiss goodbye."

"Is that what the 'when does a date end' questionings about? You want a kiss but didn't want to say that? " Theo asked. Liam wished that that was the reason for the questioning, it would be cooler than the real reason. It probably could have been quite smoothly done as well so long as Liam wasn't the one trying to do it.

"Yes." Liam lied.

Theo swaggered towards him. A smug smirk tugging at his lips and shirt billowing open like a guy from the cover of a 1980's 'romance' novel for housewives trapped in a loveless marriage. Liam scrambled to sit up, legs dangling over the edge of the bed as he blinked dumbly up at Theo as he came to a stop in front of him leaning down until Liam could feel his breath ghosting over his lips.

"Okay then." Theo hummed, moving closer. Liam tilted his chin up to capture Theo's lips but before they reached their intended destination Theo was pulling back, a hand shoving hard against Liam's chest to keep him from getting any closer. "Want to try again and tell me the real reason?"

"No." Liam said.

"Alright." Theo said, dropping his hand and stepping backward. Liam's hand jolted out, catching one of the waving sides of his shirt and yanking him back between his legs. Theo's lips twitched into a satisfied little grin.

"Would you think I'm really lame if I said I want to know when it ends so I can tell Mason about like the whole date, start to finish?" Liam muttered, eyes on the tattoo half hidden by the open edge of Theo's shirt.

"You whined about unspecified date endings for three blocks because you want to be able to gossip efficiently?" Theo snorted. Liam raised his eyes slowly, catching Theo's gaze and lifting his shoulders in a sheepish shrug.

"He's my best friend. I can't date someone without telling him everything." Liam explained and he also wanted to do it, so he could go for another round of Mason saying 'Dude he likes you so much it's pathetic' that Theo didn't need to know.

"So, will you tell him about you screaming like a five-year-old girl and throwing a sea creature at my face?"

"I may leave out a couple of details." Liam said, thinking back on how he'd lied about the results of the eating contest.

"Hmm, and will you leave this out?" Theo asked, leaning down again. Liam was happy to find that this time he wasn't left kissing air as Theo's lips pressed against his. It wasn't soft like the kiss in the park. Theo's fingers didn't cup his jaw gently instead they pressed at his chest, shoving him back until his body was hitting the mattress. Liam kept one hand curled around the tail ends of Theo's shirt as if the boy had any intention of leaving, which, really, with the way the bed was dipping by Liam's thighs and head as Theo rested his weight onto his hands and knees to hover over Liam while kissing him senseless he sincerely doubted Theo was particularly eager to get away.

By the time Theo pulled back Liam's lips were on fire, his lungs burning as he panted ragged breaths. Even so, he moved again instantly, chasing Theo's lips with a breathy whine. Theo's hand found his chest again keeping him stuck on the bed.

"I asked you a question." Theo said.

"Yeah, sure." Liam said, eyes on Theo's lips.

"Liam." Theo snorted, hand moving to slap Liam softly on the cheek. Liam finally snapped his eyes up to meet Theo's glaring halfheartedly.

"I don't remember the question. You kinda jumped me."

"I said will you tell Mason?"

"Honestly? Yeah, definitely that was hot." Liam said with a quick nod. "But I feel like you want me to say no so-" Theo let out a rumble of laughter. "-And you know, like I said, this-" he waved a hand between himself and Theo. "-A way better way to end a date than vomiting."

"You know, I think you might actually be right for once." Theo hummed, shifting his weight as if going to get back up. "But I guess this dates over now so-" Liam yanked Theo back down before he could even sit up properly, crashing their lips together again. He could feel the curl of Theo's lips as they twisted into a smirk.

"Smug asshole." Liam murmured. He doubted the insult had much effect when his hands were sliding along the smooth skin at Theo's waist and the words were spoken basically into his mouth but at least he'd tried.

Liam realized he loved t-shirts, they were the pinnacle of clothing sure maybe button ups looked good on Theo when it was flapping openly, reveling his toned chest and making him look like a damn model, but when they were buttoned up and on Liam they were awful but t-shirts, t-shirts were beautiful. There were no buttons to t-shirts, no fussing to get them off just a quick tug and they were tumbling to the floor.

The last time they'd kissed like this he'd been wearing a t-shirt and it was perfect, practical. A few little tugs and wriggling and it was over his head and falling somewhere in the gap between the seats. It was easy.

Buttons were not. Buttons were the devil's work and as such shirts were evil too. Or at the very least Liam's shirt was evil. He was still fairly fond of Theo's but that was because he knew all it would take to get it properly off of him would be a quick shove, something he would do the moment Theo finished trying and failing to undo the buttons of Liam's shirt that was apparently warded against being taken off.

"Just rip it." Liam growled when Theo had been fiddling with the top button for what felt like an eternity but was most likely only a few seconds.

"We just brought it." Theo said, fingers still picking at the small buttons even as they refused to fit back through the hole.

"It was three dollars. It doesn't matter." Liam said.

"I got it." Theo snapped, eyebrows drawing together as he got one button half way through the hole only for it to get stuck, another few wiggles and the first button was undone. Theo's hand dropped to the next one, tugging lightly only for it to pose the same fiddly problem as the one before.

"Theo." Liam whined.

"Yeah, No. Fuck it." Theo huffed. Grabbing the small opening he'd created with the one undone button and yanking. Liam's shirt flew open, buttons popping off with a quick snapping sound that was followed by a yelp like a dog being stepped on as one rocketed up and hit Theo in the eye. "Fuck, fuck fuck!" Theo growled, hand slapping at his face to cover his eye. Liam blinked dumbly up at him, cold air hitting his chest as Theo continued to spit curses. "This is why you don't plan things!" Theo growled. A laugh bubbled out of Liam before he could stop it. Theo let out a groan pressing his hand harder against his eye.

"This was hardly my fault." Liam scoffed, shrugging out of his now ruined shirt. "Hey, are you okay?" He asked when Theo didn't even attempt to argue that fact.

"I'm fucking blind." Theo grumbled petulantly.

"Let me see." Liam urged, propping himself up.

"No, my eye might fall out."

"Don't be so dramatic." Liam snorted. "Dude, come on, I bet there's not even a mark." Theo glowered at him which just looked funny when he was using a hand as an eyepatch. "Don't be a baby." He taunted. With a theatrical sigh, Theo dropped his hand, tears dripping down his cheek in a steady stream. Slowly he blinked his eye open, barely for a second before it was shutting again like he couldn't stand to have it open. Still, Liam got the little flash of red mixing in with the white of his eye and couldn't help but flinch.

"There might be a mark." Liam said. "Does it hurt?"

"You fucking think?" Theo snapped.

"Can you see out of it?" Liam asked, trying to hide his grimace as Theo blinked his eye open again only to slam it shut a moment later once more.

"It's fine. It's healing." Theo said stiffly, scrubbing the tears off of his face only to blink out a few more a moment later. Liam curled a hand around Theo's neck, pulling him forwards slowly.

"I'm still not very good at this." Liam murmured, pressing his lips softly against Theo's. It didn't take long before Liam felt the stinging of pain swimming through his fingers and tingling at his lips. Theo sucked in a small breath against his lips, yanking his head back fast enough Liam would worry about whip lash were he not a Chimera, he kept his hand cupped firmly around Theo's neck. The chimera's eyes blown wide, or at least, as wide as they could go when he was still blinking rapidly from the sudden abuse of one. His eyes flickered from Liam's face to his arm, watching the black veins that were still slinking up it even as the ones around his lips disappeared.

"Barely even hurts." Liam lied, fingers tingling against Theo's neck uncomfortably as the pain coursed through them. "Pretty sure I took Mason's pain when he had a splinter and it hurt worse." His blatant lie went unchallenged by Theo. Still too busy eyeing the black veins like he didn't quite understand what they were.

Theo brought a hand up, the red in his eye receding slowly as his fingers brushed Liam's arm, tracing the path of one of the last streaks of black. His fingers ghosted along after it, sweeping over his forearm and bicep before it met his shoulder. Theo didn't stop, fingers trailing along the skin in a soft brush, his eyes followed his hand and the marks, wide and enthralled as if where he to look away for a moment or even blink the black veins would be gone

Liam could hear Theo's heartbeat, pumping too fast. The chimera seemed to not even realize his heart sounded like it was about to beat out of his chest. Far too focused on the skinny little veins swirling up over Liam's shoulder, decorating his collar like he had a tattoo as well before they swam up and sunk into his throat. Theo's fingers continued to follow, fingers grazing Liam's Adam apple as he followed them. Liam swallowed thickly, eyes flickering over Theo's face when the last of the red in his eye receded.

"All better." Liam said, as the last veins vanished from his skin. Theo blinked at his throat, eyes flickering across it like he was waiting to find more. "Theo?" Theo's eyes snapped up to meet his, blinking twice quickly as if coming out a trance. "You okay?" Liam asked, fingers working slowly through the hairs at the nape of Theo's neck whilst he gave a jilted nod.

"Yeah." Theo croaked. "All better." He parroted. "Just...felt weird." His eyes flickered back to Liam's throat, as his hand moved, slipping back from its place curled just beneath Liam's jaw to rest over his chest he gave a sharp shove sending Liam flopping back down onto the mattress as he loomed over him. "Warm." Theo clarified voice velvety with wonder, sounding almost dazed. Liam didn't have time to respond before Theo was closing the miniscule distance between them and capturing his lips once again.

Liam returned the kiss eagerly all too happy that an enthusiastic button didn't manage to blind Theo and in turn make it so they'd wasted a perfectly good, if annoying to take off, shirt by ripping it open. Theo's hands skirted along his sides, warm palms brushing against his skin. If their kiss earlier had been fireworks then this one was a bomb, explosive and all-consuming leaving both boys panting into it as their hands explored the other's chest. Theo dropped his mouth to Liam's neck, sucking a mark that would no doubt heal in a matter of minutes. Liam rolled his hips up before he could think about it, drawing a moan from Theo that seemed to echo around the room.

"Fuck, Pumpkin." Theo hissed, voice husky and broken and leaving Liam wanting to do nothing more than roll his hips again and see just how debauched he could make him sound.

"God, you have totally ruined that for my Mom forever." Liam murmured. Theo's breath hit his neck in soft bursts. as he giggled into Liam's throat. "Did I say that out loud?" Theo's giggle turned into a full-blown belly laugh that Liam could feel wracking his body through his hands and the way they were pressed together. "It's not funny I'm serious." Liam said. "I'm never going to be able to hear my Mom call me Pumpkin without getting a boner."

"Jesus Liam, stop talking." Theo snorted, pushing himself up and away. He flopped down onto the bed besides Liam, shoulders still shaking in laughter.

"I ruined the mood, didn't I?"

"My dick wilted faster than the flowers I didn't buy you." Theo said. "Who puts Mom and boner in the same sentence?"

"Who says Pumpkin in that voice?" Liam argued. "I mean really dude, you can't say pumpkin like you're about to come in your pants that's not- Will you stop laughing at me? I swear all you've done tonight is laugh at me."

"Well I would have been doing something else to you if you hadn't brought your Mom into it." Theo said. Which did nothing more than make Liam's mind jump to all the things Theo could mean by that statement. A blush heated his cheeks as he felt the phantom burn of Theo's lips against his throat and silently cursed his mother for managing to cock block him from across the country. "Do you want me to stop calling you Pumpkin?"

"No. You've already ruined it for her." Liam said. God, what was he becoming? he was actually admitting that not only didn't he mind Theo calling him the dumb nickname but didn't want him to stop doing so. "And if you don't then this bracelet makes no sense." Liam grumbled, dangling his wrist in the air, the beads to the crappy little bracelet rattled on his wrist. "-People would just think I'm some weirdo who's way too into Pumpkin's."

"You know you could just admit you like it." Theo hummed, tilting his head to grin smugly at Liam.

"Do you want me to stop calling you Theodork?" he diverted.

"God yes. Please" Theo said enthusiastically. "I hate it." Liam scoffed disbelievingly.

"Well tough It's staying."

"That doesn't seem fair." Theo huffed.

"Just admit you like it."

"I don't. It's an awful nickname."

"I can go back to Dorkot-"

"I will drag your ass back to the restaurant and force feed you that octopus if you finish that sentence." Theo snorted, stretching out languidly when Liam made no attempt to reply. The two were silent for a while. Liam listening to the soft push and pull of Theo's breath.

"You tired?" Liam asked eventually.

"A bit." Theo hummed, voice gravelly with sleep. "someone gets grumpy when I drink coffee.

"Well, at least you weren't woken up at seven am to a slap in the face." Liam mumbled.

"No, I was just woken up at five am to a snore in my ear."

"So when are we lying to Stiles and telling him we had a perfect date where you were all chivalrous and didn't insult me?"

"That wasn't an insult. Just a fact." Theo said. "And not yet. If he knows we're still in New York we'll probably wake up to him trying to exorcise me." Liam would have laughed if it weren't most likely true. "When are you telling Mason, you have an Oedipus complex-"

"I do not have an Oedipus complex!" Liam hissed.

"You were thinking of your Mom. That's pretty-"

"Shut up and go to sleep." He said stiffly. Theo laughed, eyes fluttering closed as he apparently was all too happy to take Liam's advice, he shifted his head slowly on the pillow in a way that reminded Liam of a bird ruffling its feathers before settling into its nest. Which frankly, was far too adorable to be legal.

Liam rolled onto his side, manhandling Theo none too gently until he was able to wriggle up behind him and wrap an arm around his waist. He flopped his head back to the pillow. Happy he couldn't see Theo's smug little eyebrow raise that would no doubt be appearing thanks to the forced spooning and tried to ignore Theo's hair as it tickled his nose.

"Great." Theo huffed, relaxing back against Liam and repeating his little bird shimmy making a grin stretch across Liam's face. "Guess I'm waking up to you snoring again."

"I'll probably wake up drowning in your drool, we all have to make sacrifices dude." Liam said. He let the silence pass, burrowing his face into the pillow to try and get some sleep. Something that despite his displeasure at ending the make-out session he doubted would be at all difficult thanks to the stupidly early wake-up call. "Hey, Dorko."

"Hm."

"Thanks for today." Liam mumbled. "It was fun."

"Your turn next time." Theo said. "I expect to be swept off my feet."

"I could push you off-"

"Figuratively." Theo snorted.

"I can totally sweep."

*

Liam was happy to find he didn't wake up drowning, or worse, didn't just not wake up leaving Theo to make a very awkward 'I accidentally killed Liam with my drool' phone call to the pack. Instead, he woke up to Theo throwing his now three-day-old top at his face with a sunny morning greeting of-

"Get a move on, check outs in five."

Which wasn't exactly the perfect wakeup call but it was better than the repeated slapping from the day before which left Liam hoping that perhaps there was hope he'd one day get a half way decent wake up. Even a gentle shake and a small smile would be enough. Either that or Liam would have to start waking up first so he could be the one to wake Theo up by trying to smother him in fabric.

Liam was up and being herded out of the room in three minutes, the only real evidence they were ever in there are the buttons scattered on the floor and a balled-up shirt shoved in the otherwise empty trashcan. It was when Theo was shoving him through reception grumbling about being hungry because 'someone' got them kicked out of the restaurant that Liam got an idea of how exactly he might be able to sweep Theo off of his feet and there would be no moving beady-eyed food to be thrown at anyone.