return • theo raeken [2]

twenty-one. mended love and broken glass

third person.

AFTER THEO AND LUNA dropped Mason off to his car at the Animal Clinic, they decided it was time to call it a night. Mason planned on filling Liam in on what happened down in the sewers, so they weren't worried about getting a hold of the others. Luna's house was off the table since it would be the best place for an ambush as it was on the edge of town with very few houses around.

"Where have you been staying?" Luna asks, leaning against the center console as she looks to him. Theo's head tips up as if he didn't hear her. "Like when I was gone, where'd you sleep?"

He taps the steering wheel and says, "You're looking at it." When he glances at Luna and sees she's confused, he continues, "I stayed here."

"In your truck?" Luna clarifies, causing Theo to nod his head. "Why didn't you tell me? I would've-"

"Let me stay at your house?" Theo interrupts. "With Charlie? Then Jonah and Asher? That would've been fun."

His words silence her. Theo and Charlie under the same roof without her would be bad enough as Charlie's taken every opportunity to threaten Theo but adding Jonah and Asher to the mix would be a nightmare. Luna remembers the bullet holes in the truck, and it dawns on her that he could've been sleeping when the Hunters attacked and kidnapped him. Her eyes soften as she gazes at him and her lips form a pout. Her fingers unclip her seatbelt and lift the center console so she can move to the middle seat. Theo's arm is in the air—it was previously resting on the center console—as he waits to see what she's doing. Luna tucks her feet up on the seat and leans into Theo's side to hug him. His arm wraps around her shoulders instinctively.

"I'm sorry," Luna states. "I wish I could've been here."

Theo's thumb rubs the exposed skin of her upper arm and says, "You were where you needed to be. I can take care of myself."

Luna lets herself get comfortable against Theo's side and moves her hand under his leather jacket where she can feel his heartbeat under her fingertips. Their breaths synchronize as they enjoy their moment alone while driving through the streets of Beacon Hills. Luna's hit with a sudden realization that they were still teenagers. She can't remember the last time she felt like one. After being abandoned by her family at such a young age and having to take care of herself, or even before that as she dealt with being a werewolf, she can't remember ever really being a kid. Luna wonders if Tara never died and if the Dread Doctors never came to Beacon Hills, would she have a life where Theo and her were high school sweethearts? Would nights of driving around town be considered normal? Would they still be together if they grew up with each other?

Theo hugs Luna closer, noticing her mind is somewhere else. Her thoughts flutter away as she returns to the present moment. She tilts her head up to look at him as he pretends to focus solely on the road. She leans up to press a kiss on the spot on his neck just below his jaw. He takes a quick but quiet inhale of breath and tries to keep his heart from jumping. A smile breaks out on Luna's face. Theo glances at her and rolls his eyes.

"I'm guessing sleeping in my truck isn't an option," Theo says to change the subject. Luna shakes her head and reaches for her phone.

She says, "I'll text Melissa."

"Scott's mom?" Theo asks, and Luna doesn't notice the harshness in his voice.

"Yeah, when she let me stay last year, she insisted I keep the key. I think she was a little worried about me." Luna's voice is quiet when she says the last part. The bitterness that usually flares up whenever he thinks about Luna and Scott together dissipates when he realizes Melissa is a mother-figure to Luna. Even though she isn't in the pack or Scott's girlfriend anymore, she is always going to be a part of his family. Plus if he took anything away from her journals, Theo should be comforted by the fact that he is the reason they broke up in the first place. "She said we can stay in the guest room for tonight."