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The first time Liam woke up and Theo was still there, he thought it was a fluke. A dream. A prank of the universe.
They had fought—really fought. Not just their usual banter and bickering that felt more like foreplay than actual arguments. No. This time, it had been raw and messy. Voices raised in the dark of Liam’s room, cutting through the silence like a blade that wanted to hurt.
Liam had been frustrated. Not at Theo exactly, but at the fact that they kept not talking about this thing between them. This silent dance they kept pulling. The way Theo sneaked into his bed at night like it was no big deal. The way Liam never told him to leave. The way their kisses started heated and angry but always melted into something softer, something heavier.
But Theo always left before Liam woke up. Always slipped out of bed before dawn, all quiet and smooth. Like it didn’t mean anything. Like it was just a thing they did, not something real and messy and full of feelings.
So that night, Liam finally snapped. He had finally had enough.
So he called Theo out on it. And Theo, for all his smooth arrogance and confidence, hadn’t had a single smart-ass remark. He had just stared at Liam—wide-eyed, mouth open. Liam almost felt bad for shattering the little routine they’d built. Almost. But then... Theo had finally—finally—admitted it.
“I didn’t think I was allowed to stay.”
That had shut Liam up. It had shut them both up.
Because the moment the words were out, Theo had looked like he regretted them. Like he wanted to take them back. Like he was desperately looking for a way out. But Liam hadn’t let him.
He just grabbed a fistful of Theo’s shirt, yanked him close, until their noses were brushing, their mouths just a reath away. And then he kissed him like he was making a point. Like, you idiot, of course you can stay. Like, don’t you get it yet? Stay.
And Theo had.
Because the next morning, Theo hadn’t been gone.
Liam had woken up slowly, stretching, expecting to find empty sheets beside him again. But instead, there had been warmth, a weight against his side, and when he had cracked one eye open, Theo had been there.
Alive, real, and annoyingly normal, scrolling through his phone like he owned the place. Like it was completely normal.
Light from the screen caught the edges of his face—the sharp jaw, the way his lips quirked even when he wasn’t smiling and that stupid, perfect mess of hair. For a while, Liam just stared. Still half asleep but trying to memorize this moment in case it vanished.
He wasn’t sure how long he had been looking before Theo turned his head, one brow raising.
“You’re drooling.”
Liam had scowled, barely awake enough to process a proper comeback. “Am not.”
Theo smirked but didn’t argue. His shirt riding up a little, when he stretched his arms above his head after putting the phone down.
Liam had definitely not looked at that. Nope.
Now, weeks later, waking up to Theo still in bed with him wasn’t a fluke anymore. It was a thing–it was them.
It had become routine in a way Liam hadn’t expected but absolutely wasn’t going to question. He liked it too much. Knowing, that when he woke up, Theo would be there. That he was able to reach out, to touch him, to feel him—all warm and solid—right where he belonged.
Some mornings, Theo’d be curled on his side. His nose would be buried deep in a book he’d swiped from Liam’s shelf or tapping away on his phone. Other times, he’d be flat on his back and arms folded under his head. Eyes on the ceiling like he was solving life’s big mysteries when, in reality, he was probably thinking about what to eat for breakfast.
And then there were mornings like this one.
Liam woke up comfortable, tangled in sheets, Theo’s scent all around him—something clean, warm, and just… Theo. He didn’t even need to check. He knew. But he did anyway, because old habits die hard.
Theo was still there.
Sitting up against the headboard. Pillows were propped behind him, a book balanced on his lap that he was focusly reading. One hand absentmindedly traced the edges of the pages, but the other—Liam only noticed when he moved a bit—was in Liam's hair. Fingers threading through it in slow, thoughtless motions, like Theo didn’t even realize he was doing it.
Like it was normal. Like it was second nature. Like it was just what they did now.
Liam let himself just exist in that moment for a second. Eyes closed, letting the quiet and the warmth soak in. Theo’s hand in his hair and this warm steady presence beside him. Some part of him, still waited for the other shoe to drop. For this all to be a dream. For Theo to just vanish, ghost out when Liam wasn't looking. But it never happened. Because every time Liam woke up, Theo was still right there. Here besides Liam.
He had taken what Liam offered that night—the words, the closeness, the unspoken need beneath it all—and he hadn’t let it go. He kept taking it. Kept staying.
Liam cracked his eyes open again and watched Theo for a bit. When Theo was reading, his brow scrunched, furrowing all intense. Liam liked to watch Theo read. And still, Theo's fingers never, not once, stopped going through Liam's hair. Moving in a slow rthym that seemed to be grounding both of them.
Apparently Liam was staring a little too obviously, because Theo, without even glancing at Liam, muttered, “You not only drool in your sleep but snore too. A bit annoying, you know.”
Liam groaned and shoved his face into the pillow. “You’re such an ass.”
“Good morning to you too.”, Theo said as he closed his book, set it aside and turned to Liam with a smirk.
Liam shot him a look from under the pillow, eyes narrowed. “You’re still here.”
Theo just raised a brow, that infuriatingly smug look on his face. “Was I supposed to leave?”
Liam hesitated. No, obviously not.
“Just… you used to.”
Theo shrugged, “I don’t really feel like leaving anymore.”. His voice casual, but that softer tone, the one only reserved for Liam, was shining through.
Liam felt this, now familiar, warmth spread through his chest. His body reacting to Theo's words. It wa still overwhelming but not in a bad way. Just in the way, that Liam may never truly get used to Theo saying stuff lie that. He let the warmth settle. Eyes slipping shut again, just for a second, before a slow yawn pulled through him.
Rolling onto his back, he stretched lazily. “What time is it?”
Theo’s answer came with a hint of amusement. “Almost noon.”
“Too early.”
Theo snorted. “It’s literally not.”
“Too early,” Liam repeated stubbornly as he blindly reached toward Theo and grabbed his wrist, tugging him down.
A half-hearted sound of protest left Theo, but Liam knew he didn't really mean it, because he didn't fight Liam's pull. He let himself be tugged in, flopping into the blanket beside Liam. The sigh was more for show than anything else and both boys knew it.
Happily, Liam buried his face against Theo’s shoulder. “Five more minutes.”
There was no answer with words, just this “mm” noise and the drift og Theo's hand over Liam's back. His fingers tracing slow, absentminded patterns over the fabric of his shirt.
Liam wasn’t sure if he actually fell asleep again or maybe just hovered in that soft, hazy in-between—warm, safe, not quite dreaming, not quite awake. Time blurred. Nothing else mattered. Just the steady pattern of Theo’s breathing. The reassuring weight of his hand. The way the world outside felt miles away. All narrowed down to just the two of them.
Eventually, Theo shifted, just a bit. A lazy, lingering kiss was pressed to Liam’s temple. Lips warm and soft. “Five minutes are up,” he said, voice a little gentler now, like he didn’t really want to break the spell either. Like he also wanted to contain this moment.
“Mm. Ten more,” Liam muttered, not even pretending to sound convincing.
Theo sighed dramatically. The huff of breath ruffling Liam's hair. Bu he didn’t move. If anything, he pulled Liam in closer. Their bodies melting together even closer. Like they could hide from the day forever here. Just the two of them tangled up together under the blankets.
“Fine,” he murmured, voice softer now, barely above a whisper. “Ten more.”
Liam smiled against his shoulder, knowing full well that he wasn’t the one getting away with something here.