Liam groaned in his sleep, making Theo's eyes drag over him. Theo turned on his side, a smile that twisted his lips when he met his peaceful expression, his lips parted while he was still sleeping deeply. Man, it was really hard to wake up!

He sat up, grabbing the pillow and pulling it again into his face.

Liam jumped startled, grabbing the pillow as he quickly sit. "Wha-" He met Theo's grin. "Oh... Stop it, you idiot." he snorted, pulling his pillow back.

Theo grabbed it, laughing. Liam snorted, then wrinkled his eyes, kneaded with sleep, and barely sat down.

"Hurry up or we’ll be late," Theo teased him. Funny, considering that he was still spaced out on the bed.

Liam gave him a death glare. "So- are you gonna leave me halfway today too?" He wanted to know, as he stood up, frowned, without looking at him and marching toward his clothes piled in the corner.

"Well, you choose. Do you want everyone to think that you're hooking up with me?" Theo asked, with a shrug and a calm expression, still sitting comfortably on the bed.

Liam turned to look at him suddenly with wide eyes "What ? Wh-why should someone think such a thing?"

"Well ... because it's me" Theo just replied, turning him a mischievous smile

"Wha-? "Liam frowned, stopping "This would be your way of coming-out to me?" he asked doubtfully and suddenly uncomfortable.

"Well at least now-" Theo jumped up, pointing to the door, heading for the bathroom "-you have something to make fun of me in case you want revenge"

Theo turned to look at him from the door, studying him carefully. Then a grin made its way over his face.

"See you downstairs!" he raised his voice to prevent Theo from saying anything else, running between him and the half-open door.

Theo looked at his retreat with an even bigger smile, shaking his head in his direction.

*

After covering the last few hundred feet that separated him from school, Liam went to his locker. He had just opened it when he sensed running steps approaching from one side. He turned forward, meeting a really flustered Mason.

"Hayden told me what happened yesterday" he just said, slamming his hand over the locker next to his. Liam gave him a confused expression. "Theo" he added, fervently. "She told me he did it again. That son of a- I swear that now I will give him a piece of my mind-"

"Mason, Mason-calm down- it's everything okay" Liam hastened to stop his invective.

"It's not okay at all, who does he think he is? I-"

"We talked" Liam exclaimed over his voice. Mason looked at him stunned. "Yeah, we ... let's say we sort things out" Liam looked back to his locker for books.

Mason didn't seem to agree at all "Liam, that is not someone you had a fight with or anything like that. He has been evil with you for years. You come back and he behaves as if he was still ten years old. How do you sort out something like that?"

Liam swallowed, closing the locker with the books in his hand and looking at the boy in front of him. "I know, I will never forget what he did, but ... can't we try to start again?" Liam tried.

"Why would you want to do something like that? He doesn't deserve a second chance, he deserves nothing " Mason protested, lowering his voice when other students began to surround them, busy opening their lockers.

Liam sighed in distress. Then he looked around cautiously. "Look, can I tell you something? But you have to promise me that you will keep it between us for now" Mason raised his eyebrows. "You don't even have to tell Corey"

"I can't promise this" Mason said faintly.

"Okay" Liam took him from one shoulder, pulling him away from prying ears. He took a breath. "I came back to Beacon Hills for a reason, actually. My mom ... she's going to remarry, in a few months."

"Uh it's great-"

"Yesah it is. She is happy now and I want her to continue to be"

"It seems fair, Liam, but I don't understand what-"

"Yesterday we moved to her fiance's house. On trial, waiting for the wedding. And-" Liam took another breath. Still saying it sounded strange even to him. "He is Theo's father"

Silence fell. Mason seemed to take a few seconds to get the thing through. Liam saw him slowly widen his eyes and... "WHAT?" he shouted.

Several people turned to them.

"Shh I don't want everyone to know about it ahead of time!"

"You're telling me that Theo would be ... what? Your brother now?!"

"Step-brother. Or at least we will be when our parents get married"

"Oh my God, this is crazy "

"Yeah, it is" Liam agreed, rolling his eyes, his shoulders falling back. He looked around frantically again, before returning to Mason. "Look, getting along with Theo is not something I ever wanted to try to do, given what happened in the past. But it's something I have to do ... for my mum. For Paul. They deserve to be happy, and me and Theo ... we can't just ruin everything for... things that happened when we were kids"

Mason was silent watching him. Now he looked visibly calmer, he probably got Liam's point. "Yeah... I guess it is" he finally murmured. "Whatever - if he just tries to do something again, I swear to God, Liam, that-" he resumed, fervent again.

Liam chuckled. "Yes, I know, you will tear him apart"

"I will kill him" Mason corrected determined, returning his smile. "Anyway, don't worry, it's a secret I can keep, but do you know that, sooner or later everyone will come to know, don't you?"

Liam shrugged. "Yes I know. I don't really care. But I prefer to wait for the situation to calm down, do you get it?"

*

At the end of the school day, Liam was blissfully walking down the now almost empty hallway, heading for the library to meet Mason, when someone thought it was a good idea to kidnap him.

He didn't even have time to make a sound, that a hand wrapped around his wrist, came out of a half-open door, pulling him inside, not even gently. He stood looking at Theo, who closed it behind him cautiously.

Liam looked at him shocked. "Are you for real?"

Theo turned to him, rolling his eyes, though there was a slight splash of red on his cheeks.

"Okay" Liam sighed, crossing his arms. "Why did you kidnap me?"

"Idiot, I didn't kidnap you, don't be dramatic." Theo snapped sourly again. Embarrassment over.

"I wanted to tell you that I have practice, so I won't be able to drive you home"

"Couldn't you tell me in class or in the hallway like any normal person?" Theo didn't answer. But he looked away, his lips clenched in obvious discomfort. Liam studied him. "Why don't you want them to find out we live together?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"It's none of your business" Theo replied quickly. "Now I have the go to practice, goodbye." He dodged him to point to the door.

"Is it because you are embarrassed that it's me?" Liam shouted after him.

Theo froze, turning towards him and meeting Liam's frowning and clearly waiting expression.

Theo sighed and this time he spoke in a calmer and kinder voice "No Liam, it's not for that. It's none of your business, because this is not about you, so ... just- keep it for yourself." He turned to open the door. "See you at home" he muttered as he left.

Surely it was not the right time to tell him that he had given it all out to Mason.

He sighed, and was about to leave when his cell phone rang. He took it out and saw that it was a text from Mason.

Today lacrosse practices, you wanna join me in rooting for Corey? (;

Apparently he wouldn't have to wait to get home to see Theo again.

*

Liam didn't expect all that crowd in the lacrosse field, just for a practice.

"What are all these people doing here?" He whispered to Mason as he they climbed the stands in search of a place to sit down.

Mason rolled his eyes without giving a glance to the dozens of girls, above all, who surrounded them. "Theo" he just said.

"Theo what?"

"You remember when I told you that Theo thought to be the king of this school? Well somebody has to make him believe that" Mason said. "Although he is actually pretty hot, I must admit" then he sighed, as if to admit that costed him a great effort.

At that moment, the crowd of girls began to jump and cackle, causing Liam to startled. He looked up at the field, where Theo was running towards the bench on the sideline, taking off his helmet, the sweat sticking his hair to his forehead in a way anyone else would have looked like a monster. He looked like a model ready for a photo shoot.

Liam lowered his head and looked back at Mason skeptical. "I really don't know what they see in him" he said, as the girls threw another series of excited little cries when Theo spilled the water bottle on his head, shaking himself.

Show-off, Liam thought, as he looked at him.

Theo raised his head, his eyes darting over the crowd, stopping right on him. Liam's heart skipped a beat as he bent his head. Theo must have thought he was staring at him!

When he dared to take another look, he saw Theo's smile spread before running away, back to his teammates.

"It's a windbag" Mason said, shaking his head, catching Liam's attention again.

"Uh-uh" he hastened to agree, shifting his gaze to the rest of the team and finally noticing Corey, who was glaring at Theo.

"Corey doesn't like Theo at all, uh?" he whispered to Mason.

"Uh, I told you, nobody really likes Theo. Apart from Josh, and maybe Tracy"

"But Corey seems particularly pissed off" he remarked, raising his eyebrows and remembering Corey's words of the day before about Theo.

Mason sighed. "You know, I do not like to talk about it, but ... Last year, early in the year, there was a small ... flirt ... between him and Theo"

Liam looked stunned "Really?"

"Yeah, in the meaning that Theo just used him. Corey never really forgave him" Mason shrugged "Theo is like that. He doesn't particularly care about anyone, boys and girls, he's someone who likes to have fun ... if you know what I mean"

Liam looked back at the field, his eyes that found Theo, while with a good tackle he knocked down an opponent and shot at goal. "I thought you said he was dating Tracy though, didn't you?"

"It's like Corey said, he's hooking up with Tracy. It's the most similar thing to a relationship he's ever had, yeah, but it doesn't mean anything to either of them, probably... otherwise he wouldn't cheat on her and she wouldn't let him get away with it, right?"

"I guess so" Liam said thoughtfully, returning to watch the practice with a frown.

Whatever, not that he cared about what Theo did outside home, what he did with others or why. What he cared about was having a civil relationship with him at home.

But...

Nobody really likes Theo

I stopped caring about what Theo says years ago

I was a kid and I was stupid. Sometimes I still am.

It's none of your business, because that's not about you

... he couldn't help wondering if there was something else, if there was a reason behind that behavior that Theo had always had.