I won't die for you (but maybe I'll stand beside you)

The Storm

Theo waits for Liam to emerge from the bathroom with a sense of vague dread.
When the door finally opens and Liam steps in wearing a loose t-shirt and ratty shorts Theo's throat at once loosens and closes up.
Liam stops just in front of him, forcing Theo to tip his head back. It's a strange feeling to look up at the other boy, and Theo feels ridiculously small.
"Are you going to actually talk to me now?" Liam whispers.
Theo looks down and ignores when Liam sits down beside him.
"You were talking to Derek?" Liam prompts.
The bed bounces as Theo flops onto his back.
"Yeah."
Silence surrounds them, Liam's parents having gone to bed a while ago. When Theo uncovers his eyes he tries to just stare at the ceiling, but Liam's silhouette keeps catching his eye.
"We talked."
Liam scrubs his hands through his hair and huffs.
"I gathered that."
Theo squeezes his eyes closed.
"I want to know what's so important or stressful that you had to go talk to Derek! You only talk to him when you're in a bad place."
Theo opens his mouth, but Liam cuts him off.
"And don't say that's not true, because I know you better than he does, and I can see when you're hurting."
Liam's got clenched fists and he abruptly stands up.
"You have no idea how frustrating this has been for me! I've got my parents to deal with and I thought I had you to help me, but so far all you've done is disappear and come back even more mysterious!"
"This has been frustrating for YOU? I agreed to come here and play nice to your parents because of a mistake you made, and now I'm questioning everything I thought I felt! I can't go home, and everytime I come back you're here, looking all... destroyed n shit. Saying nice things, looking at me like you are Right Now!"
Theo pushes himself off the bed and strides straight up into Liam's face.
"You can't do this to me." He hisses.
Liam blinks and reaches to grab Theo's hand, which Theo realizes is shoved at the other boy in an accusatory way. Theo yanks his hand away.
"I don't Understand." Liam pleads.
Theo growls low in his throat and paces away from Liam. Anger bubbles in his lungs and he can't help but blink back treacherous tears.
"How do you not get it?"
Theo's voice is a whine and a plea for understanding. He stops at the window and presses his forehead against it.
"It's so obvious." He breathes.
Normal people probably wouldn't have heard anything, but Theo knows that Liam's brain is going double time trying to figure out what exactly he's missing.
Theo lets the glass cool his forehead and thinks about what Derek had told him.
———

"I don't know what's happening. I can't stop thinking about it now that I've figured it out." Theo grumbles, staring at his hands.
Derek shifts on the park bench beside him and sighs.
"You are an absolute idiot."
Theo frowns at him.
"You're the second person to tell me that in as many days." He whispers after accepting that Derek isn't going to soften the blow or take it back.
Derek laughs.
"It was Stiles wasn't it."
Theo huffs.
"He is usually right, you know." Derek continues seriously.
Theo leans against the back of the bench and looks up at the sky. The clouds promise snow and Theo shivers even through his parka.
"He didn't really tell me anything though."
Derek turns his body so he's fully facing Theo and waits until Theo finally sighs and meets his eyes to speak.
"I'm only going to say this once, Theo, so you'd better listen closely."
Theo nods slowly.
"I know all about missing chances," Derek starts, pain causing his eyes to crinkle, "If you really care about him, you won't wait and make the same mistake I did."
"But I don't even know if he feels the same way."
"If he chose you to be with him, that has to mean something, even if he says it doesn't."
"You missed your chance?" Theo backtracks. "What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said. I left because I was scared and wasn't sure how it would turn out, and when I came back, sure of what I needed to do, I was too late. They'd moved on. And I don't blame them, but if I'd spoke up it could have been different."
This is the most Theo has heard Derek talk about himself in the entire time they've known each other. Derek is looking at him with a fair amount of exasperation.
"You know that you deserve to be happy right?" Derek says firmly.
Theo sighs and looks away, only to be smacked on the back of his head.
"You are the most infuriating person on this planet." Derek groans.
Theo rubs his head and glares.
"I've done some pretty terrible things."
"Liam isn't a saint you fool. He's got his fair share of issues."
Derek puts his head in his hands and whistles through his teeth when he sees that Theo clearly doesn't believe him.
"I swear to god if you didn't look so sad right now I'd kick your ass halfway across the world. I was never this dense."
Theo leans away and wrinkles his nose.
"Says mister 'I was too scared'."
Derek throws his hands up.
"You two need to talk, and I mean actually talk, no funny business."
Theo tips his head back and exhales heavily.
"I'm not the best at having conversations that don't end up in a fight. Especially with him."
Derek just looks done at this point and Theo takes it as a hint to stand up.
"You need to Theo, you know if you don't it will tear apart everything you've built."
Theo sighs and nods down at his friend. Derek doesn't make a move to stand up and send him off, just lounges back against the bench and smirks up at Theo.
"If it doesn't work out, I'm here." He says, and it sounds like the kind of invitation Theo would normally take him up on.
Theo quirks an eyebrow.
"You have a very high opinion of yourself, to think I'd stoop that low."
"You have before."
Theo laughs in surprise, and Derek's smirk breaks.
"Seriously though, I hope that it goes well." He says, sitting forward to pat Theo's arm.
Theo grimaces.
"That makes two of us."
———