Barely Human (But Getting There)

Chapter 3

The younger wolf was getting increasingly agitated in the seat beside him. Theo could tell from the way he was picking at his fingers and bouncing his knee to a nonexistent rhythm. Liam's nervous habits, his brain supplied him.

They were on their way to the school in Theo's truck – Mason and Corey close behind in a second car – after receiving collective texts from Stiles that the rest of the war was being fought there. Of course it would be Beacon Hills High, where anything but actual education happened.

At the hospital Melissa had made quick work of removing their bullets and patching them up before she sent them off with a grim but firm, "Be safe, kids." He hadn't missed the way she pointedly looked at each of them when she said that, himself included.

The drive was swift and uninterrupted; there wasn't even a real need keep his eyes on the road considering the current traffic (or rather lack thereof). Had he not known better, Theo would've thought Beacon Hills was a deserted ghost town. But no, upon closer inspection, dim lights could just be spotted in the clusters of houses they passed. People were here, they were just hiding. Either from supernatural creatures apparently prowling the streets or from self-proclaimed hunters actually prowling the streets, it was probably for the best. If Theo were to be very honest, it was entirely unnerving how much the town had changed practically overnight.

Speaking of unnerving experiences, the awkwardness of this ride was about to hit a spot in his top three soon. Theo scrubbed at his face and shot another sideways glance at Liam, who was once again trying to discreetly stare at Theo. Keyword being trying. For the fifth time.

He tried to shrug it off and reached a hand to fiddle around the collar of what had been his newly washed, favourite black T-shirt. It was now a sad thing with creases, bloodstains and a fashionable ripped hole in the back. What was the point of picking favourite clothing as a werewolf, seriously? Except you're not a werewolf, not really. That little voice in his head that appeared in the most inopportune times reminded him, as always. Theo didn't have the time to figure out who it sounded like today, so as always, he told it to go fuck itself. His skin crawled with the sensation of being watched and he glanced to his right again. At least Liam had the decency to avert his eyes this time. Theo's eyebrows furrowed.

"Did you wanna say something or...?" Was Liam hurt elsewhere that he hadn't noticed? He couldn't detect any fresh blood or concealed pain, but he gave the fidgety beta a careful once-over just in case.

"I...uh...I..." Liam looked very put on the spot, like Theo was the one who'd been acting weird since they'd gotten in the car.

What was it...anger? Anxiety? No Liam actually felt relatively calm and from his chemo-signals all Theo could glean was a bit of...restlessness mixed with a touch of confusion. Huh?

If anything, Theo was the one who should've been restless. He'd let a moment of weakness show in front of too many people he had yet to fully trust, and it had taken longer than he would've liked to rein his emotions back in check. That, combined with how he'd obviously given everyone back there a free ticket to the 'Liam working his anchor magic on Theo' show, was enough to make Theo consider shifting into his wolf form right there and running off into the woods to never return.

Okay, nothing that dramatic. Maybe. But truthfully, the foreign feeling of revealing so much about himself perplexed him. Set him on edge. And Liam making a 180-degree turn to a shy, stuttering middle-school girl was not helping.

He fiddled with his shirt again, trying to think what Liam could be confused about and how he might be able to help before they entered what could very well be the last fight of their lives.