Liam waited almost thirty minutes after he heard Tracy slam the door behind her.

He wanted to give Theo time to process that. He knew how petty he could be, especially when he was already upset. Only when he thought it was safe, he did go back to their room.

Theo heard Liam stepping in the room. He closed his eyes focusing on the music that echoed in his ears, to avoid further uncomfortable conversations. They had already been enough for a day.

After a few minutes, he dared to open an eye to check, and saw Liam writing something, sit on his desk. Probably his stupid homework. Seriously, who studies on a Saturday afternoon?

He was deciding whether to tease him about it and go back to his usual routine, when Liam turned in his swivel chair, throwing a paper ball right into his lap.

Theo snapped off guard, then looked at him with wide eyes, while with one hand he picked it up. He took off his headphones while Liam finished the turn on himself stopping back again to the desk.

"What's this?" Theo asked confused, opening the sheet when he noticed something was written on it.

"My phone number" Liam replied. Theo looked at the note even more confused, seeing that yeah, actually, there was written a phone number. "You know, so you won't have to kidnap me whenever you have to tell me something. And you can warn me when I don't have to be at home. You know..." He added hesitantly, looking again at him. "I would never want to witness such a thing again"

"Pff, and I thought you were going to stay there and watch if Tracy hadn't noticed you" Theo grinned, staring as Liam blushed.

"You know, I'll add 'stunting my growth' to the list of traumas you caused me" he muttered back

"I think that stopped years ago" Theo said with an even bigger grin

Liam looked at him deadpan "Do you know that that truce thing should presume no more insults?"

"I can't stop being me" Theo replied quietly, returning to put headphones on.

"I guess not" Liam sighed

They fell again in a quiet silence. Liam resumed reading, but he noticed out of the corner of his eyes Theo that carefully saved his number on his cell phone.

*

On that Monday the movers finally managed to deliver Liam's room, and so he quickly passed the following week between his mother, forcing him into an intense cleaning of the room, and Theo pretending to help him store things, when actually he took advantage of that to idle and laugh at every single photo or old toy he found.
In the meantime, he had often gone out with Mason and the other boys, every now and then he also had lunch with Hayden and Tracy, who apparently Theo had asked to keep the secret, because the girl acted as if she didn't know anything, and certainly she didn't seem to have talked to anyone about it, not even Hayden.

Mason was still the person with whom Liam had particularly bonded. Apart from Theo, of course, even if Liam still found it difficult to figure their strange relationship and give it a name. Mutual tolerance , Mason had called it one day when they were sitting in the cafeteria. Perhaps it was the definition that came closest to it.

"And what about Hayden?" Mason asked as he, Liam and Corey stood at the foot of his bed, in front of their rough favorite game, a bowl of chips and a bottle of coke in front of them.

"Hayden what?" Liam asked, confused, not taking his eyes off the TV, the flashes of gunfire reflected in his blue eyes, in the shadows of the room.

Mason rolled his eyes. Corey chuckled shaking his head weakly "Come on, she'll drool over you!"

It was Liam's turn to roll his eyes. "Remember that Hayden already has a boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend, exactly. It's not like she has signed a marriage contract." Mason winked at him.

Liam snorted. "Yeah, ok, I don't want to be involved in a swirling and scandalous love triangle" he said with a half smile.

"It would be intense" Mason commented with an excited sigh.

"I don't think Gabe would agree with that" Corey commented from his place, pressing violently on the keys, before his player fell under Mason's bullets. Corey cursed, throwing himself back against the bed defeated.

Mason laughed. "I love you, but you suck in this, baby."

Liam chuckled as the game ended. He then turned to Mason sitting to his left. "Is Gabe Hayden's boyfriend?" Mason nodded. "Theo said it's in junior high, is it?" He asked curiously, remembering their disastrous first lunch together.

"Yeah, he repeated a year. Actually, he's only a year younger than us" Corey explained, sitting up again and taking a chip.

"Did he repeat a year?" Liam asked raising an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah" Mason's eyes widened as he remembered something. "Once in the seventh grade he fought with Theo, really bad. I don't know the reason, but they beat the hell out of each other" he said. "Gabe had a Swiss army knife on him, you know? He hit Theo on his hand!"

"Really!?" Liam said, baffled.

"Yeah, I think Theo still has a scar. I will never forget that day" Mason shook his head at the memory "The teachers, the parents ... made a big fuss about that"

"Well, it's the least" Liam commented thoughtfully.

"I wonder what Theo had done to him" Corey rolled his eyes skeptically.

"I don't think it was his fault that time" Mason said, picking up the controller, when the start menu reappeared. "So, do we have another game? Liam?"

Liam started out of his thoughts. "Uhm- yes, let's do another one" Liam grabbed the controller and began to select the various scenarios.

"Hey Li" Mason said a few seconds later, "your phone is ringing" he looked up at the phone vibrating on the floor between them.

"Uh?" Liam muttered distracted

"Who is Stiles?" Mason asked with a smile, looking up at him.

Liam jumped at the name, dropping the controller on his knees and hurriedly grabbing the phone. "No one" he said, quickly bringing the phone close and closing the call, then flipping the phone over the bed. Mason gave him a confused look. "Won't you answer?" He raised his eyebrows.

"No ... no-it's not important" Liam stammered.

"Ah-ah, don't tell me he's your boyfriend?" Mason's expression was amused.

Liam blushed "N-no what do you say ..."

"Ex boyfriend then" Mason sneered

"It's not like that, Mase" Liam hastened to say sharply, looking away and turning back to the TV.

"You can tell us, Li." Mason chuckled again, nudging him. "Is he from your old school?"

"That's nobody!" Liam snapped angrily. Mason started at the harsh tone. Liam took a half breath, withdrawing guilty. He closed his eyes, calming himself "Sorry - just - I don't want to talk about it"

Mason looked at him worried "Okay, I'm sorry" The boy shared a worried look with Corey over Liam's shoulders, Corey shrugged confused

"I'm sorry" Liam repeated, blushing slightly.

"No ... don't worry, I didn't ... have to push, sorry"

Liam gave a deep sigh. Corey looked at them troubled, before strategically changing the subject "So this game?"

"Uh ... yeah"

"Yeah yeah let's play" Mason agreed quickly

Liam focused on the game, his heart throbbing painfully in his chest, his hands numb around the controller, a weight in the stomach. He could almost still hear the cell phone vibrating behind him. He called himself an idiot, clenching his lips, and increasing his grip on the controller.

What the hell was he doing?