Theo listened to the angry knocking and shuffle of footsteps on the floor below. Eyes scanning the wall in front of him, the morning sun glinted off the hot dog trophy on the window ledge, sending fractures of light dancing over the bricks.

Theo's finger tapped against Liam's arm, curled tightly over his stomach, once, twice.

Voices muttered below, a door slammed shut, a few more footsteps and then the knocking started again, louder than before, closer. The snores that had been rattling in Theo's ear for the better part of ten minutes came to a snorting stop as Liam woke up.

"Just once-" Liam said, voice croaky with sleep.

Theo could feel his lips moving against his back as Liam still tried to shuffle closer despite being plastered to him."-could you wake me up nicely? No slapping or pushing or banging just-"

"That's not me." Theo said "What?"

"It's not me." he reiterated, tugging Liams arm away for long enough to flip over and face him. The beta squinted against the sun pouring through the windows, nose scrunching.

"You need blinds."

"I'll put it on the list." Theo said. Liam's eyelids fluttered. The knocking stopped for a moment before a door was closing none too gently again. Liam lifted his head, switching his squint to the direction of the door.

"The hell are your neighbors doing?" he asked. Theo turned the phrase over in his head slowly, lips upturning as 'your neighbors' really sank in. He remembered Liam the night before, his voice soft and light as he'd said welcome home.

His eyes trailed over Liam, scrubbing at his eyes as the sun bounced off of his messy morning mane making it almost glow gold.

The air around them still held the remanence of the stale scent he'd been suffocating in the night before, but mostly he could smell them and it felt real. He was home, a real actual home with an address and running water.

A home, that, if the snappish voice he'd been listening search the building for the past ten minutes now was anything to go by, was about to be accosted by a none too pleased welcome wagon.

"Not my neighbors." Theo hummed out lethargically against the dirty floor. "It's your Mom." Liam scoffed out a low laugh, eyes rolling as he flopped back down on Theo's chest.

"Funny." Theo ran his hand through the tangle of hair on Liam's head, the footsteps started up the stairs.

"I'm not joking." Theo said calmly. "She's been searching the building for the past ten minutes."

"What?" Liam's body tensed against his chest. "You're joking."

"Nope."

"Oh my god." Liam shoved himself up off the floor as the footsteps neared the door. "Why didn't you wake me so I could sneak out?!"

"You were snoring so soundly I thought-"

"She's going to kill me, she's going to literally-" Three hard thumps rattled on Theo's front door.

Liam's cheeks paled, his mouth hanging open in horror. "Do not open it." Liam whispered.

Theo pushed himself up off of the floor.

"Don't worry." Theo said, padding towards the front door silently. Liam followed him just as quiet, eyeing the door like it was about to be kicked down any second. "Pretend your not-" Liam started.

Theo grabbed the door handle, Liam threw himself up against the wall behind the door with a muffled squeak when Theo threw it open with no more preamble.

"Mrs Geyer." Theo greeted, shooting a polite smile at the short woman on his doorstep.

Liam pressed himself harder against the wall as if he could sink into it and disappear, mouthing bastard at Theo frantically. Theo smiled wider.

"Oh don't you Mrs Geyer me." She snapped, anger exuding from every pore in her body. She didn't wait for an answer before she was shoving her way in. "LIAM! LIAM I-" Theo turned to watch her as she marched further inside

"Please, come in." Theo muttered. It seemed Liam also got his manners from her. She span on her heel back to face him. "I know he's here so-" She broke off as she no doubt caught sight of Liam still pressed against the wall next to the door, his face scrunched up as if in pain.

"Liam."

"Heyyy Mom." Liam wheezed, unsticking himself from the wall and smiling with too many teeth. "So, I know you said-"

"No." Jenna said stiffly.

"I can expla-" Liam inched closer to her, looking every bit a puppy with its tail between it's legs. Theo followed eagerly. Eyes snapping between the two as they talked in clipped words.

"No."

"How did you-"

"Car."

"Mom."

"CAR."

"Okay." Liam sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat. A laugh bubbled up Theo's throat.

"You're lucky I'm not grounding you as well, Mister." Jenna said, jabbing a finger at Theo in a way he was sure was intended to be threatening.

As it was it left Theo sucking in his lips to hide the smile threatening to overtake his face as he looked into stormy blue eyes that gave him an idea of where Liam's non IED related firey temper came from.

"Mom." Liam whined. "Please don't threaten to ground my boyfriend."

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do after the stunt you pulled." Jenna growled, rounding on her son. A soft squeak of laughter broke past Theo's lips again as Liam flinched away from the 5''4 woman, she grabbed his wrist, marching him towards the door. "Car. Now. I swear you-Where is all the furniture?" She asked, screeching to a halt in the middle of the barren living room.

"I don't have any."

"You don't..."

"He moved in last night." Liam pipped softly.

Jenna raised her clenched knuckle to her mouth, eyes closed as she seemed to reel in the urge to spontaneously combust. With a deep breath she dropped her hand, eyes snapping back open to land on Theo.

"Have you been grocery shopping yet?"

"No." Theo said with a shrug. Even if he had enough money to go it would be pointless. "I wouldn't have anywhere to put it. I don't have a fridge." He explained.

"Of course you don't." She huffed. "Okay. Both of you, car, right now." She said, urgency emphasized with a clap of her hands before she began physically shooing Theo towards the door, he moved before she could actually start hitting him, stumbling out with a startled look in Liam's direction feeling like a sheep being herded.

"Mom!" Liam hissed, scrambling after them.

"I would keep it zipped right now Liam." Jenna snapped. "We are going to go have breakfast and come up with ground rules because clearly you have forgotten what being grounded means."

*

Theo let his eyes run over the Geyer family kitchen.

It was nice, sweet, the kind of kitchen Theo would expect to see in films but not in real life, with notes on the fridge that held sweet messages David and Jenna left for eachother all hung up with different tacky fridge magnets that Theo could imagine a younger Liam picking out at the aquarium.

A mug hung off of a cup rack with 'worlds best dad' written proudly on it. Another above it, hand painted sloppily that held chips on its handle from years of use. A bonsai tree sat beside the sink, branches stretching out artfully.

If it weren't for the atmosphere Theo would say it was peaceful. As it was however, the drive over hadn't seemed to quell Mrs Geyers anger at all, if anything it had only stoked it.

The woman had taken to silently preparing pancakes, oozing impotent rage in a way that would have left Theo feeling uncomfortable were it not for the silent conversation that Liam and Doctor Geyer had been holding behind her back for the past few minutes.

Theo watched as the two continued their little tennis game of facial expressions and silent gestures, Liam shook his head frantically, Doctor Geyer replied with a dark look and one stiff nod.

Finally, Liam gave in with an almost inaudible whine. Doctor Geyer's lips lifted in a smug smile, hand jabbing towards Liam and then at Mrs Geyer.

"Mom, Do you want some he-" He said, raising half out of his seat.

"Sit down." Jenna said, not even turning from the stove. Another pancake hit the plate with a small thunk. Liam dropped like a stone back into his seat.

Doctor Geyer grimaced, sliding further down in his like he was the one in trouble, Theo sipped at his orange juice, finger tapping against the table, once- Liam's hand slapped down over his before he could move his finger again, the impact echoed throughout the quiet kitchen.

Mrs Geyer flipped another pancake onto the growing tower.

"I'm sorry, I-" Jenna span round, brandishing the spatula towards Liam.

"No." She said stiffly. "We are not doing this while we have company." Theo dodged a bit of pancake batter that came flying from the spatula as she waved it towards him. "We're going to have a nice breakfast and get to know your boyfriend a little bit better and then you're going to go to school knowing that when you come home we'll have had plenty of time to think a punishment good enough for you."

"School?" Liam gaped. "It's the middle of the week."

"You mean a school day?" David asked dully. Theo let his eyes drop to the table, hiding the amused smirk twitching at his lips.

"I...I mean, it's..Can't I go back Monday?"

"Really?" Jenna's incredulous tone had Theo peeking up once more, watching as her eyes bulged and her lips thinned. David pinched the bridge of his nose but, if the way his shoulders shook slightly was anything to go by, Theo was sure it was more to hide his amusement than actual exasperation.

"Right yeah no, School, I love school." Liam said with an eager nod. "Can't wait."

"Damn right you can't." Jenna scoffed, turning back to her pancakes. Liam shrunk further down in his seat, shoulders slumped when he finally deemed it acceptable to cast a glance at Theo.

"Sorry." Liam breathed, so quiet that the two humans weren't able to hear it. Theo was sure he was, but, although it definitely wasn't the morning that he had been hoping to have.

Theo couldn't bring himself to mind that he'd been shooed out of his own apartment in his pajamas by his boyfriends Mom, if anything, it was nice, watching Liam squirm in his seat, cheeks flushed red from embarrassment.

It felt similar to a day on the road, mocking Liam mercilessly only this time Theo simply got to sit and watch rather than actively participate.

"Here you go." Jenna finally turned off the stove and settled the mountain of pancakes onto the center of the table.. "Eat." She said, strongly enough that it felt like a threat.

Liam dove on the tower of pancakes, shoveling one into his mouth with panicked abandon.

"Looks delicious, honey," David said. "Right boys?" Liam gave a muffled hum of agreement as he continued squirreling food in his cheeks.

"Yeah, thank you for inviting me." Theo said.

"Thank you for coming." Mrs Geyer said looking earnestly touched, like Theo had any choice in the matter.