𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒, liam dunbar

xxiv.

song starts when scott, malia, derek and braeden leave x

liam dunbar's gaze rested on the fuzzy white of the ceiling visible in the darkness.
his arm rested behind his head as his lips formed a straight line of mundane, as he boy ventured through his thoughts.
liam swallowed thickly, before sighing and twisting amongst his sheets, willing the thoughts to go away.
right this moment, the beta would have given anything to replace his the images currently swirling through his mind with the ones he'd previously forced away; the ones of teddy.
liam would admit— the thoughts that plagued his mind at this moment we're not so pleasant.
monsters coursed through the boy's mind; running rampage to his sanity.
as his head lay askew on his propped up arm, his brain began to play its nightly games.
in the corner of the room encased in black, liam's printer whirred to life.
paper copies of one repeated image swirled up a storm in the boy's room, whilst his eyes were jammed shut, cursing his imagination.
but the young wolf had to relent; his feel hit the cool air of his bedroom as he wandered towards the buzzing machine, wishing only for something reassuring beside him.
a small hand in his.
that's what liam needed.
alas, the boy did not act on his needs quite yet as he lifted one of the sheets of paper, which were gathering on the floor.
thirty six names repeatedly littered the area of the floor space in the well sized room, but only one fixated the stare of the gorgeous blue eyes.

liam dunbar
liam dunbar
liam dunbar

overwhelmed by panic, liam's breath hitched in his throat with each hit directed at the printer, but to no avail.
the paper flooded out, causing the beta to feel claustrophobic.
finally, a tug at the cable ceased the machine, and liam dunbar vaulted out the window.
><
his heart pounded as his knuckles connected with the fragile glass of the window.
the onlooking darkness liam saw was instantly illuminated, as teddy mccall came to the glass.
a panic-stricken look covered the girl's beautiful face as she stood, alert, in front of the cool glass.
her hair stuck up at odd angles, and her christmas pyjamas were incredibly out of season, but still liam smiled sheepishly.
he didn't look brilliant himself, with his white t-shirt and tartan pants, his own hair askew.
teddy didn't mind the boy's appearance; the top was tight and hugged his muscles in all the right places, and his hair made him look like a lost puppy.
the brunette was so much distracted, she almost forgot to open the window.
as the cool glass slid upwards, liam stepped gently into the room.
he looked around as teddy closed the window; the room was small, painted cream, with a large field of sunflowers plastered neatly on the far wall, adorned with pinned up polaroids liam was too tired to recognise.
bookshelves clung to the walls, along with a white wardrobe and a chest of drawers.
the girl's unmade bed sat in one corner.
"uhh— hi."
liam murmured as teddy positioned herself before him, wearing a confused look on her dainty face.
"why are you here?"
she whispered softly, causing liam to bite his lip harshly.
seeing the boy's discomfort, teddy took him by the hand and sat him on her bed, a small, sympathetic smile on her face.
"liam? what's wrong?"
concern blanketed the youngest mccall's face; she was still holding liam's hand in her own; exactly what liam needed.
the blonde boy exhaled heavily.
"i had trouble sleeping,"
he admitted, his blue eyes sad and pleading.
"it's been occurring for a few nights; hallucinations, images, in my mind. i-i didn't know what else to do."
teddy's heart fractured as the beta's voice broke, and she budged closer to him ever so slightly.
"li.."
she whispered softly, placing her hand on his bicep gently.
liam regarded the action carefully, his eyes on her hand, before turning to face her fully.
"is it okay if i stay here tonight?"
he mumbled, his eyes falling to where the pairs hand's were joined.
teddy's hand grazed liam's cheek gently as she regarded the boy.
he seemed so fragile; something teddy hadn't seen in him before.
if he were to come for help— the girl knew something was wrong.
pink dusted over teddy's cheeks when she felt the same urge she had felt the previous night; the urge to kiss him.
teddy didn't know what to make of the situation, but she was too sleep deprived to really care.
liam's eyes met hers when her hand grazed his jaw, and the boy leaned forwards slowly.
their lips met softly, as teddy's arms wound round the boy's neck cautiously.
the kiss ended briefly as the pair leaned, foreheads pressed against each other.
almost instantaneously, the boy's gaze dropped to the floor.
"i'm sorry, teddy. it was a stupid idea. scott, your mom, i-i can't stay."
"you can stay,"
teddy hushed softly, silencing the beta; the brunette decided not to think about the consequences of her actions.
liam needed her, and teddy was happy to oblige.
liam's eyes sparked with happiness.
"but you're not sleeping on the floor."
"neither are you."
liam hummed back in response.
"well, then."
teddy spoke, leaning back into the bed, and pulling liam down with her.
"we both sleep here."
the mccall ignored the burning in her cheeks as her and liam lay, face to face, in her bed.
"okay."
liam whispered slowly, daring to move an inch closer to the girl he held so dear.
the girl's lips curled up at the boy's noticeable movements, as she placed a hand on his jaw once again, and pressed another soft kiss to his lips.
then, her head fell to his chest, and the pair finally slept, after nights of constant unrest.
><
scott mccall was anything but happy when he went to wake his sister for school.
coincidentally, he managed to wake not only his sister, but the boy sleeping beside her, and the rest of the neighbourhood.
"you're lucky mom's already at work!"
scott hissed, as teddy fumbled for an explanation of last nights events.
"it's my fault, scott."
liam stood before teddy could say anything to her brother.
scott's eyes narrowed.
"i didn't have any question about that, dunbar."
he growled, his eyes flashing red and back to brown in a mere moment.
the hair on liam's arms stood on end due to the anger radiating off his alpha.
"scott.."
teddy's voice sounded from behind the pair, before she situated herself in front of liam, as though to protect him from the wrath of her brother.
"scott, nothing happened."
the brunette said firmly.
"liam knocked on my window last night, he'd been having nightmares. we both had.."
she paused a little.
"it's hard to be alone when you're scared, scott.."
at his sister's words, scott's hard expression crumpled.
he looked between teddy and liam slowly, before scratching the back of his neck.
"and nothing happened?"
"nothing."
liam affirmed with the nod of his head.
scott turned to leave.
"go home, dunbar. and teddy, get dressed."
scott left the room.
a glance was shared between the two freshman, but teddy couldn't meet his eyes.
she replayed the events of last night vividly over in her head.
she kissed him; twice.
she kissed him.
teddy wasn't willing to face that yet.
so liam climbed out the window without another word.
><
liam dunbar entered the school, his nerves still on edge.
the boy had never felt more out of it with each look that surpassed his body, and each laugh that flew around the hall.
"liam!"
the boy heard from across the hall, and soon enough, mason was beside him, along with teddy, who's eyes were fixed on the floor.
"hey, am i gonna see you at the bonfire tonight?"
mason asked, a smile plastered on his face.
liam shook his head.
"uh— i'm thinking about skipping it."
he said, his eyes focusing on everywhere that wasn't teddy.
mason hummed knowingly.
"you're not skipping."
"why not?"
the boy asked, shouldering his backpack.
"because you're on the lacrosse team. don't you have to go?"
"i don't, uh—"
mason cut the boy off.
"plus, teddy's gonna be there, hey?"
"i-i have to go."
the girl justified.
"scott's making me."
liam tried to stop his mind wandering as he listened to the girl.
"i-i don't think i can make it."
he tried one last time.
"you're coming."
mason clarified, before spinning to see that teddy's focus was elsewhere.
"and we've found you a nice girl. so all you have to do is embarrass yourself in front of her, and then we can find me a lacrosse player."
mason ignored his best friends eye roll.
"because, statistically speaking, someone on your team has gotta be on my team."
mason's voice sounded like a distant buzz.
liam couldn't fight of the images that were gathering in his mind like they had many days and many nights before.
all he could do was pretend he didn't see the beserker looming down the hallways; it's bone hide clacking in the surreal silence.
"liam?"
his best friends shout forced liam from the chaos inside his mind.
"okay, i'll be there."
he said hurriedly, ignoring the brown eyed girl who's focus had just returned to her friends.
and with that, liam turned and marched down the hall, leaving mason confused and teddy wracked with guilt.
><
the boy's locker room was way too rowdy for liam's focus, but that was probably the best thing at that time.
it meant nothing could creep into his mind due to the masses of noise resonating around it.
"alright,"
coach spoke up, emerging from his office.
"now i know the start of the season bonfire, it's a big deal for you guys. i also know it gets out of hand sometimes. the alumni show up, there's other teams, and there's alcohol. lots and lots of alcohol."
scott's gaze bore into the young boy as cheers filled the locker room.
liam's head was down, but he could still feel his alpha's eyes drilling holes into his skull.
he tried to keep listening.
as coach kept talking, scott's eyes never moved from the blonde haired boy, especially when even his name was brought up.
at that point, liam was quick to leave the locker room, his face flushed red with regret.
><
slowly, scott's feet hit each step as he approached the blue eyed boy.
liam flinched, startled, as scott took a seat beside him.
he set his lacrosse stick down slowly.
liam's head turned when scott placed a gentle hand to his shoulder.
"hey, you okay?"
liam turned to face him.
"last night, my printer went off by itself. i couldn't turn it off. i hit the cancel button, but it just kept printing."
the boy shivered as he described his hallucinations from the previous night.
"printing what?"
liam's hand went to his back pocket where the paper sat.
to the boy's surprise, his fingers clasped around the thin sheet, which he had folded carefully.
his eyes were wide as he handed it to scott.
maybe he wasn't hallucinating.
scott unfolded the paper carefully, his face falling as he read over the list.
"this is why you came to see teddy last night?"
liam nodded slowly.
"i-i got scared. i didn't know what to do."
scott licked his lips gently before placing his hand cautiously on his beta's shoulder once again.
"i'm sorry i was so hard on you."
scott sighed.
"i shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. but i worry, you know?"
the corners of his lips were tugged up slightly into a small smile.
"teddy; she's my sister. after everything going on, if i-if i lost her, too. i don't know what i'd do."
scott admitted.
liam bit his lip, his gaze falling to the floor.
"she really cares about you."
the alpha's words were spoken softly to the boy, who smiled a little in return.
"yeah. i really care about her."
comfortable silence followed the pair, until a sharp yell from coach pierced the air.
"what the hell is this?"
the two boys locked eyes for a second before sprinting in the direction of the outburst.
liam stumbled back ever so slightly at the sight of coach's printer whirring and shooting out paper as his had done so similarly last night.
"you see the difference?"
liam asked, as scott compared his paper with one from the floor of coach's office.
"derek's not on the list anymore."
he mumbled slowly.
"and i'm not worth three million."
liam added, his nerves taut like a rope waiting to snap.
"it's eighteen now. eighteen million dollars.
><
loud music roared in teddy's ears as her and her brother wandered up the field full with hyped up teenagers.
it puzzled her why this would be a desirable location to anyone, but she went with it, sticking close to scott whenever anyone got too close for comfort.
both mccalls scoured the field for any sight of their friends as they stood before the dancing flames.
eventually, scott caught sight of malia, a hazy blur amongst dancers and drinkers alike.
"i'm gonna go see malia."
scott said into his sister's ear and she nodded to say she understood.
"go find liam."
he spoke again, pulling his sister into a small hug before the pair parted ways, and teddy was left wandering through the mass of people on the pitch.
the stench of alcohol snuffed our teddy's oxygen as she squirmed through crowds; people talking, dancing, drinking.
the music stirred up the blood in her head, causing the small girl to stumble as she ventured through the hoards of people.
at a bench, the doe eyed girl rested her hand and inhaled heavily.
she hadn't had anything to drink; she never would.
there wasn't any possibility that teddy could be drunk.
yet her head was pounding and she was unsteady on her feet.
something caught in her throat, but she swallowed it down and scanned the crowd.
no liam, no scott, no anyone she knew.
just hundreds of people gathered and intoxicated, dancing to the pounding of the bass.
the youngest mccall hurled around when she felt a sharp tug on her back.
her mind went foggy with panic when there was no one there.
the sharp tug came again, and once again, teddy spun on her heels, but nothing.
the pounding of the music and hundreds of voices ricocheted through her mind, causing her to stumble on her feet.
then, amongst the chaos, a small, black feather fluttered to the floor.
the girl's breath hitched in her throat as her claws began to dig into the palms of her hands.
her vision began to waver; bright and fire lit to black hazed.
a newly sprouted fang pierced teddy's lip.
the girl couldn't stand straight, let alone think straight as she hurled her morphing body through the masses of people.
no one stopped to stare, all too intoxicated in the music or the alcohol.
as she flung herself through the doors of the school, teddy's large black wings furrowed around her.
her breathing was ragged through her fangs as she pried her bloody hands open.
something had caused her to shift.
the pain of the music was becoming unbearable.
teddy's wings lifted to her ears in an attempt to block out the roaring of blood, but it only shielded her vision as scott was thrown in to the hallway beside her.
"teddy.."
he managed, his eyes hazy to the vision before him.
teddy's black wings unfurled from her face to reveal her brother, collapsed on the cool floor and gasping for breath.
her eyes were black and glassy, and full of panic.
"scott.."
she whispered, her heart pounding to the pace of the music.
"what's going on?"
scott took his sister's hand in his own, noticing the claws protruding from her fingertips, and pulled himself closer to her.
"another assassination.."
he coughed, leaning against the lockers.
teddy let her wings fold back to allow scott to slide in next to her.
the pair were gasping for breath, struggling against the bass of the intoxicating music.
once the plumes of black were behind the girl, she noticed two other limp figures in the hallway; liam and malia.
teddy fought back the tears that formed in her glassy black eyed and took a steady breath.
blood, combined with the music, roared in her ears.
"what is that? what are you doing?"
scott asked as two guards stood before the four struggling teenagers.
"it's gasoline. haigh says we gotta burn you."
as the cap of the canister was unscrewed, teddy began to panic.
she reached out for malia and hauled her closer to her figure, along with scott, and positioned her great wings behind her.
liam on the other hand, was just too far out to reach.
the man with the canister stalled for a second when he saw teddy.
"you're fully shifted, aren't you?"
he said, stepping closer, and teddy was too affected to fight back.
the man with the scraggly beard pried teddy's limp hand from her brother's, holding it tightly within his own.
teddy let out a cry of pain, but the music had rendered the fairy useless.
"these—"
he tugged at one of teddy's claws,
"are beautiful."
the man released teddy's hand and instead, pushed himself closer to the girl, admiring her glistening black eyes, now full of tears.
then, he stepped backwards, his eyes casting over the flurries of her wings.
"i might just keep you— if i weren't getting paid so much."
the man jeered.
the bottle of gasoline was hoisted into the air and teddy acted just in time.
her wings sheathed just in time to deflect most of the gasoline from hitting scott and malia's fragile frames.
the girl cried out in pain from the effort, but the man simply laughed.
"they'll catch. meanwhile.."
the man made quick use of the gasoline, and soon enough, liam was doused from head to toe.
just out of teddy's reach.
as teddy's wings recoiled, scott spluttered for breath under the liquid that had caught him.
teddy's cheeks became damp as the intensity of the music increased, pounding against her skull.
liam lay unconscious, completely soaked by the gasoline, which began to seep through his lacrosse jersey.
in that moment, teddy mccall didn't regret kissing the boy at all.
if anyone were to survive that night, she was sure it wouldn't be him.
the flame danced in front of scott's face as he was kicked against the lockers.
his lungs heaved, but all he inhaled was the scent of gasoline, and the fear radiating off his sister.
suddenly, the roar outside stopped.
silence greeted the school corridor as the red of scott's eyes flickered on.
he made a grab for the lighter, and the bone crunched within the mans hand.
"don't touch my sister."
he growled, taking possession of the lighter and holding it tight.
two people flew out from behind the corner, taking offensive moves against the gathering deputies.
"derek.."
teddy coughed through her fangs, though she was still unable to assist.
the girl was weak from the intoxication, and was still pressed against the cool lockers.
derek and braeden fought until not one deputy was left standing.
liam and malia stirred, watching the fight unveil from the floor.
finally, three of the four supernaturals were able to stand.
"what happened to the gun?"
scott's eyebrow raised.
derek's lip quirked upwards slightly.
"you're covered in gasoline."
he looked down the line of teenagers.
"well, he is."
liam only just seemed to notice the liquid dripping down his body.
"oh, yeah."
on scott's face formed a small smile.
"oh, yeah."
derek turned to the brown haired girl, who sat on the floor, encased within her wings.
"so this is full shift, huh?"
liam's ears perked up, unaware of who the born wolf was talking to.
"those look pretty powerful."
slowly, the black mass of feathers unfurled to reveal teddy mccall, whose gaze was fixated on the ground below her.
"teds,"
scott said slowly, crouching down to speak to his sister.
"you protected us there. these wings, you shielded us."
derek watched teddy's gaze lift ever so slightly to the blonde boy to her right, before it dropped to the floor again.
he notices the different levels of gasoline coating the teenagers, and pieces things together.
"teddy,"
he spoke up.
"you can't save everyone."
"but, scott.."
she said, without looking up at the brotherly figure before her.
"i've been trying to teach your brother this for years."
scott mccall noticed liam's gaze rested upon his sister shyly.
biting his lip, the boy squeezed his sister's hand before standing up.
"malia, derek, braeden. let's go clean up the mess outside."
even malia got the message, and the four were quick to leave the freshmen alone.
scott smiled at liam supportively before closing the door behind him.
"teddy.."
liam started slowly, inching closer towards the girl.
"no, liam, please."
teddy's voice breaking left a pang in the boy's chest.
"don't come any closer.."
"why, teddy?"
he asked, standing beside her forlorn figure.
the small girl exhaled heavily.
"because i'm not me.."
slowly, teddy stood, her wings towering over her small figure.
"this isn't me, liam. this can't be who i'm meant to be."
for the first time since liam awoke, teddy lifted her gaze to look at the boy.
"look at my eyes! they're soulless; empty!"
liam's blue eyes met teddy's glassy black orbs, but nothing changed within him.
she was still the same to him, no matter the wings or claws or fangs.
just like teddy knew liam was the same liam, even when he shifted.
"they're beautiful."
liam stated simply, stepping closer to the distraught girl.
noticing his movements, teddy took a sharp step back.
her voice was shrill, and new tears sprung to the brunette's eyed.
"no they're not, liam. they're hollow and dark and empty."
once again, teddy's gaze clattered to the floor.
her chin dropped to her chest as she brushed a rogue tear off of her cheek.
liam's breathing sounded hollow— resonating through the practically empty hallways.
another step forward was taken, until the pair were barely a foot apart, and liam's fingers found their way under teddy's chin.
he lifted her head to face him, his eyes tracing over her fangs and her dark eyes.
finally, he exhaled deeply.
"yes, teddy, they are. they are dark, and black. but, theodora mccall, they show me your soul, and that's what's beautiful."
liam pushed a stray strand of teddy's hair behind her ear gently.
"you're beautiful."

ahhh, this scene isn't finished but this is already four thousand words so imma brb in the next chapter,, harrie x