mint-dunbar[1]

Three

Alex noticed something off about her the second she got into his truck. He looked at her skeptically; on the outside, she rolled her eyes at him. On the inside, she was screaming.

Oh my god, what if he knows?  What if he knows I killed someone?  Well, I technically didn't kill him if I never touched him.

Her brother turned down the radio slightly, which meant he was going to say something deep.

"Do you know what today is?" He asked, frowning. She shook her head and pulled out her phone to check the date. February third. She gasped. "Dad's birthday."

It was a few weeks after Clarke's birthday, after the Stone family had been shell shocked with the notice of her father's death. Liam had sent her dozens of texts and left her countless voicemails and tried so many times to get her to open up to him, but she was angry at the world. Seeing him reminded her of the day her father died. Eventually, he gave up when months passed without any sign that his best friend was still in her. 

As she walked to second period, Clarke was dragged into a janitor's closet. She almost screamed, but the lights turned on to reveal a frazzled-looking Liam. His hand was clamped over her mouth, preventing her from making noise. "Don't yell, please." He whispered frantically. She nodded, licking his palm for good measure. He groaned and wiped his hands on his sweatpants. 

"Real mature, Clarke. Anyway, those juniors from last night cornered me earlier, and the one who bit me- bit me!- started saying how the bite is a gift and we're brothers now. Do you know what any of that means? What is even going on?" He rambled. Her blonde eyebrows drew together in thought. A movie she'd seen recently popped into her head.

"Liam, have you been feeling any different lately?" She asked. He shrugged, but before he could verbalize an answer, the door opened, and the boys from yesterday came in. The spastic driver of the jeep scowled at Clarke, who instinctively backed up, closer to Liam. He pushed her behind him. 

"First, you break my goddamn ankle, you bite me, kidnap me, and corner me every two seconds? What is wrong with you? Just leave us alone, alright?" Fuming, he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the closet.

Her heart fluttered when he said 'us' and not 'me'. Maybe he didn't actually hate her. Maybe he never did.

They were already late for second period because of their little detour, so the hallway was empty. Abruptly, Liam turned and slammed his fist against a random locker, a loud sound echoing throughout the area. He pressed his forehead against the cool metal, breathing erradically. He was whispering something over and over again, almost like a mantra to calm himself down. 

"Liam?" She murmured. As she got closer, she heard his breath catch in his throat. He grappled blindly for her hand and caught her gaze. "Anger attack," he wheezed, squeezing her fingers. "How do- how do I fix this? How can I help you?" She asked, but he no longer listened. He was whispering the same mantra; this time, she could hear it. He was saying her name, repeating it again and again. 

She was beginning to panic, too. She didn't know what to do for an anger attack, so she did what you're supposed to do for an anxiety attack: force him to hold his breath. She kissed him, holding the sides of his face in her hands. His skin was feverish as she pressed her lips to his unmoving ones. He stilled when her mouth didn't leave his, giving a shudder before practically melting. Liam's head lulled and fell against Clarke's chest. His breathing returned to a normal rate; for a moment, it was just the two of them, him in her arms.

The bell soon rang again, and he hauled her to her feet. "Why did you do that?" He asked her quietly on the way to third period. She shrugged, tucking a stray lock of wavy hair behind her ear. "I've heard that to stop someone's panic attack, you're supposed to make them hold their breath, and I figured that was the quickest way." She replied.

"Well, thanks, I guess."

-

That night, as Clarke got out of the shower, her sight blurred, and suddenly, she was no longer in her bathroom, but a dark, cave-like room filled with water. Liam was in front of her, struggling to stay above water. Then, as soon as her vision began, it was over. She quickly dried off and got dressed and left the house. 

Running. That was her way of clearing her mind from that awful daydream. She ran until her feet ached and she had no idea where she was. She stopped, sitting on a rock to catch her breath. Twigs snapped about a hundred feet behind her, and a shape ran by her, moving so fast that it hit her and knocked her off her feet. Clarke hit the dry leaves, and a human form was on top of her, snarling like a dog. Oddly enough, it looked like Liam's face, but it was more monstrous, with sharp canines and bright yellow eyes. She tried shoving it off of her, but it was no use: it was extremely strong, not to mention heavy. She let out a scream, not like the one she gave at the hospital. No, this one was more normal.

The thing on top of her had claws that dug into her wrists and teamed at her shirt; she cried, begging for it to stop, when something pulled it off of her. The two bodies rolled around on the ground, both attempting to scratch the other. She heard one yell, "Liam!' With so much force and passion that she tripped and fell backwards into a tree. The monstrous faces morphed back into human ones, and her heart dropped when she recognized them: Liam and Scott. The younger boy turned to Clarke, taking in her torn shirt and frightened eyes.

"What are you?" She rasped, terrified of the answer she might get. He shook his head as if to apologize. "I'm... I'm a monster. Oh god, did I hurt you? I'm didn't mean to!" He said, panic rising in his voice. She mimicked him, shaking her head, and hiding her bloody wrists behind her back. Scott stepped forward and placed a parental hand on his shoulder. 

"Liam, you aren't a monster. You're a werewolf. Like me."

Word count without authors note: 1100

I honestly ship #cliam so hard they're so adorable omfg they have the cutest lil freshman relationship

Vote&comment!

-haley

ps: this is the last draft I have typed up which means I might not update until the weekend lol