#theo is doing his best you guys are just mean dot gif

[middleearthpixie]

Damaged Goods ~ Chapter Three

Author's Note: Just a reminder that this story follows the events of the miniseries Stay Close and will contain spoilers.

Title: Damaged Goods

Fandom: Stay Close

Pairings: Ray Levine x OC female Theodora (Theo) Bailey

Summary: Following the events of Stay Close, Ray Levine has come to the US to begin a new life and is staying with Theo Bailey, the friend of a friend, who is quickly becoming his best friend and Ray is starting to wonder if there isn’t something more there between them.

Like Ray, Theo has her own demons and although she wonders the same thing about Ray, fear of repeating past mistakes keep her from moving forward. Or do they? Somehow, these two damaged people will come together and discover that maybe—just maybe—second chances are worth the risk.

Theo gets a somewhat depressing taste of what Ray’s job entails and later on, a little soul baring leads to something more…

Warnings: This chapter does contain spoilers from Stay Close under the cut.

Rating: T

Word Count: 4,649

Tag List: @tschrist1 @i-did-not-mean-to @lathalea @bitter-sweet-farmgirl @linasofia @fizzyxcustard @legolasbadass @kibleedibleedoo @xxbyimm @ocfairygodmother @exhausted-humxn-being @shalinizhara @rachel1959 @laurfilijames @sketch-and-write-lover @sherala007 @enchantzz

If you’d like to be added (or removed) to the tag list, please just let me know!

Previous chapters can be found here and AO3

The worst part about Ray’s job had nothing to do with the depressing nature of photographing men and women cheating on their spouses, nor was it knowing he played a role in breaking up what must have overwhelmingly seemed like happy families. No, if anyone asked Theo, she could point blank tell them what a load of nonsense that was.

The worst part about Ray’s job was the boredom that came with sitting a car, waiting for something to fucking happen.

And not fall asleep in the process.

Because she was having one hell of a time staying awake. She shifted in the leather passenger seat of Ray’s Compass, fighting off the mother of all drowsiness, while Ray sat, camera at the ready, and waited for his mark to show up with his mistress.

“I don’t think anyone’s coming.” She glanced at the clock. It was nearly eleven. “I thought you said this guy shows up around nine?”

“That’s what Drew told me.” Ray set down his camera, a Nikon D5 according to the camera’s body. “But, I’m thinking you’re right and he’s a no-show. Guess she’s not a good enough lay to risk getting caught.”

“Oh, that’s terrible.” She glanced over at him. “At least, I think it is. It can’t be the first time he’s done this, or his wife wouldn’t know where and when.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean it’s with the same woman. Guys are dogs sometimes.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.” In the hour that she and Ray had been sitting in his car, in the half-empty lot at the Bayside Motel, Scott tried calling her three times. She had the ringer off, but the notifications still came through and with each call, the urge to just throw the phone grew stronger. She didn't want to talk to him. Didn’t want to hear his excuses. She’d been dumb enough to fall for them before. She wasn’t dumb enough to do so again. He’d left voicemails, but she deleted them. He’d eventually take the hint. Even he wasn’t completely stupid.

“So, maybe they went somewhere else.”

He shrugged. “Maybe they’re shagging in his car.”

She chuckled. “That does sound nicer than fucking.”

“It’s just as well. My ass is numb from sitting here. So, why don’t we—”

She grabbed his arm as a car pulled into the lot. “You said it was a Mercedes, right? Silver? Maybe that’s him.”

Ray lifted his camera as the silver Mercedes sedan eased into a spot closer to the pastel pink and blue building. The Bayside was a typical shore motel that catered to vacationing families in the summer and apparently let rooms by the hour in the off-season. It was no different from the other motor inns that dotted Thirty-Five all the way from Point Pleasant, along the Boulevard in the Seasides (Heights and Park) to Island Beach State Park at the tip of what were known as New Jersey’s Barrier Islands. This one was only two blocks from the beach, boasted a small pool on a raised patch of grass off to the side of the building, and probably saw more than its fair share of post-prom parties and summertime hookups—the sort of place where one would never want to shine a blacklight on any surface because it would probably haunt a body the rest of their days.

A man and a woman climbed out of the Mercedes and Theo fought the urge to roll her eyes. The man was probably close to Ray’s age—late forties, early fifties. But the woman? Well, if she actually was a woman, it was by a year or two at most because she barely looked old enough to drive, never mind be sneaking off to motel rooms with a married man.

Gross.

Ray was right. Men were dogs.

She turned to ask him if that was his guy, only to find the camera to his eye and the shutter clicking furiously. Closing her mouth, Theo settled back against the seat, just watching as he shifted the camera, made an adjustment of some sort, then brought it back up and documented the man and his mistress as they skirted the nose of the Mercedes and made their way to the second floor, disappearing into the room on the end.

Lowering the camera, Ray sighed. “That should be enough.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded, angling the camera to go through the photos on the view finder. “You can see his face, you can see hers and I am not getting any closer. If she’s over eighteen, I’ll eat the XQD card. There’s a reason girls like that are called jailbait.”

“Are you talking to me or yourself?”

He looked up as if surprised to see her there. “Sorry, I was rambling on to myself. You’d think I’d be used to it by now, seeing guys my age running around with women her age. Hell, once I thought I’d probably be one of those guys.”

“She is not a woman. She’s a teeny-bopper.”

He broke down the camera and reached across to grab the bag on the floor at her feet. “Yeah, well, she’s woman enough for him and he’s desperate enough to believe she actually gives a shit about more than his wallet. Thank Christ I’m not that pathetic yet.”

She shook her head at the very thought. Ray might be a lot of things, but pathetic was definitely not one of them. Still, she thought his words were more for her benefit than because he really thought that way. What guy didn't want a hot, young chippy, who seemingly absolutely wanted to have sex with him, hanging on his every word? Somehow, she thought when push came to shove…

But, all she said was, “So, what now?”

“Now? I email these to Drew and get paid for it.” He looked down at the watch on his left wrist. “You’ve sat here with me for almost two hours just waiting for this clown, let’s go out and I’ll buy you a drink to say thank you.”

“Only one? This is depressing, you know. Sitting here, waiting for this jerkoff and his sugar baby to show up is one of the more pathetic ways I’ve spent a night.”

“I know. It fucking sucks, is what it does.” He stowed the rest of the camera in the bag, set the bag back on the floor, and turned the key to start the car. “Makes that paparazzi-for-hire thing look far more appealing, doesn’t it?”

“Weird, but I can definitely see the appeal after this.”

“Right?” He eased the Jeep from its slot and angled it out of the lot and onto the Boulevard. All was quiet at this time of year, the neon lights muted or off from the arcades and seaside bars. Many of the motor lodges were closed for the season, their lots hauntingly empty and desolate. The Jersey shore in winter was Theo’s favorite place for that very reason. The shore towns counted on the summer tourists to get them through the long winters, but she hated everything that came with those tourists. And when MTV aired The Jersey Shore, things got even worse for a while. Thankfully, the show was done and most of the residue had finally washed away.

Traffic was light along the Boulevard and as he merged onto Route Thirty-Five, Ray said, “So, where would you like to go? The boardwalk or somewhere away from the beach?”

“It’s six of one, half-dozen of the other. Boards are fine. We’ll freeze, but you don’t mind that anyway, so…”

“Well, it isn’t as if we’ll be sitting outside,” he told her. “And if you’re cold inside, I’ll give you my jacket again.”

“Deal.”

Ten minutes later, they sat at Surfside’s bar, each with a bottle of Blue Moon in front of them. It was actually kind of crowded for a Tuesday night, but it was an older crowd—closer to her and Ray’s ages, so it wasn’t too loud and the music didn't make the walls shake.

Theo’s phone buzzed and this time, she didn't even bother looking at it. Ray gestured to it with his bottle. “That’s the fifth or sixth time your phone’s gone off. If you aren’t going to answer it, why not put on silent instead of vibrate?”

“I hadn’t realized you were paying attention to how many calls I’d gotten.”

He grinned. “How could I not? It buzzes every five minutes. Who is you’re avoiding?”

“Scott.”

“If you want to call him back,” Ray lifted the bottle to his lips for a swallow, then lowered it to finish, “feel free. I don’t mind.”

“I have no desire to talk to that prick. Why should I? He’ll just promise me he’ll never do it—or her—again and in a week or two, guess what he’ll be doing.”

“This has happened before?”

She rolled her own bottle slowly between her palms. “Yeah. Twice. I’m such a jackass for letting him back into my life each time and I swore if he did it again, I would never take him back. Kind of a New Year’s Resolution, I guess.”

“Do you usually keep your resolutions?”

She met his gaze and shook her head. “No. At least, not this for this long into the new year.”

“Theo,” he took another sip, “it’s the fifth of January.”

“Well, so far, so good, then.” She stilled the bottle and shook her head. “I’d rather be alone than be with a guy who is just using me to fill in the nights he has nothing better to do.”

“You could do better than him anyway.”

“You haven’t even met him.”

“I don’t have to,” he shook his head, gesturing toward her with the bottle once more, “because I know you. A guy’d be lucky to have you and you shouldn’t settle for anyone who doesn’t see that.”

His words sent a funny little flutter through her and made another mouthful of beer absolutely necessary. “You have to say that or I’ll toss you out on your ass.”

“You would not.”

She sighed, and brought the bottle to her lips for a pull. Shock Top was her preferred brand, but Blue Moon was a close second, light and citrus-y. As she lowered it, she shook her head. “Nah, I probably wouldn’t. I don’t mind sharing my space with you. I just wish you’d stop sleeping on my couch.”

“I just wish you’d stop emptying your laundry basket on me.”

“How else do I get you to sleep in your own damn bed?”

“Obviously the laundry isn’t working. It’s just easier to flop there when I drag my carcass in during the wee hours of the morning.”

“So, keep more regular hours.”

“I would love to, but people don’t tend to cheat from nine to five.”

She drained the bottle and set it back on the bar. “You need a better job.”

“No fucking shit.”

Her gaze went to his arm resting against the bar. He’d pushed his sleeve up just enough for the Cas part of Cassie’s name to be visible, along with the bottom part of what reminded her of a skeleton key, although the bottommost part of that was hidden beneath a bracelet of woven black leather. She understood the name, of course, but couldn’t quite make the connection to a key, because he certainly didn't strike her as the sort to go for something as sentimental as her having the key to his heart.

But then again, maybe he had been at one point. She didn’t know. Much of his past was a mystery to her and she really hadn’t asked him much about it. Maybe it was time to do just that. But carefully. And tactfully.

Which was something she struggled with, to be honest. Tact was not her strong suit.

Still, there was only one way to find out.

“What about you?” she blurted before she talked herself out of it. “Was she your wife?”

“She?”

Theo pointed to the tattoo on the inside of his right forearm. “Cassie. Was she your wife?”

“My wife?” He glanced down and with his index finger, traced over the swirling letters that spelled out her name. It was a fairly decent-sized tattoo, taking up most of that forearm, but Theo thought it looked a little clumsy, like perhaps it had been done by someone just starting out and not exactly seasoned with a tattoo gun. She knew better than to say that, though, just as she knew better than to ask him what he’d been thinking, getting a woman’s name tattooed on him. Everyone knew doing so was the kiss of death for the relationship, or so most of the tattoo artists she knew thought.

Instead, he looked up, then gestured to the bartender to bring them another round. “No. Almost, but we never made it that far.”

“Oh, did something happen to her?”

“You could say that.” He dug into his back pocket for his wallet, setting a twenty on the bar to cover it. “Put your money away,” he growled at Theo as she unzipped her wristlet. “You get the next round.”

“What next round?” She eyed the fresh bottles before them. “One of us has to drive.”

“I’ll call an Uber if need be. My car’ll be fine. Besides, it takes more than two or three beers to lay me out.”

She shook her head as he picked up the second bottle. “I’m not that lucky. Two is my limit.”

“I’ll drive. You’ve been bored out of your fucking skull for the last two hours.”

“Ray.”

“What? I’ll be fine. Promise.”

She just stared at him for a moment, then shrugged and lifted the bottle. But before she drank, she blurted, “What happened? With your fiancée, I mean?”

“She… uh… she disappeared.”

Theo froze without taking a sip, then lowered the bottle. “What?”

“Yeah. And I don’t mean in an I haven’t the foggiest what happened to her, but she left me.” He took a long pull off the bottle, then lowered it to add, “Just fucking disappeared one night. I thought she’d killed this guy and it turned out that she hadn’t but her friend did and I—”

She waited for him to go on, but instead, he tilted the bottle and drained half of it, then lowered it. “What did Ty tell you about me? When he asked you to let me stay with you?”

“He said you’d been involved with a woman named Cassie and her friend was legit crazy and that was it.” Her stomach did an odd flutter and she wondered for a moment if she should have picked Tyler’s brain a little deeper. Was there something about Ray that he should have told her and didn’t? Like something to do with murdering a guy back in England? “Ray?”

He looked around. The crowd had picked up a little, but the bar area was still fairly empty. “Come on. I’ll tell you at home. Too many people here.”

She hesitated briefly, then chided herself for being an idiot. He’d been living in her apartment for over a month now. If he was a psycho killer, she’d be dead by now. So, her cheeks growing warm with embarrassment, she slid off the stool and nodded. “Okay.”

His hand came to rest warmly at the small of her back as he guided her back toward the front door and out into the frigid night. The wind whipped in off the water, raking though her hair to send it in all directions and she wished she’d brought a hat with her. She broke into a sprint to get to Ray’s car as fast as she could, but she still had to wait, shivering, because he didn't sprint.

“Unlock it already, will you?” She stomped one foot, then the other as another brutal wind gust tore along the boards. “Damn, sometimes I wish I lived in Florida.”

“Really?” Ray popped the locks and then opened the driver’s door to angle in behind the wheel. “I don’t see you as a Florida type.”

“What does that even mean, the Florida type? What do you know about Florida?” She yanked open her door and all but threw herself into the passenger seat. “You’re English.”

She clawed her hair out of her eyes to find him giving her a look. “What? You are.”

“I am,” he nodded, “but I’ve been all over the world. Trust me, you aren’t the Florida type. You’re the Jersey shore in winter type.”

She scowled. “Cold and desolate?”

“To a certain degree,” he slid the key into the ignition and cranked it over, “yes.”

“Thank you.”

He switched the heat on and she winced at the icy air blasting from the dash vents. It smelled like snow, icy and clean, with a hint of sea-air tang. She couldn’t get it closed quickly enough.

“For what it’s worth,” he added, backing out of the spot, “I happen to like cold and desolate. There’s a certain… poetry to it.”

“Sure, if I was a fucking beach, I’d be beautiful.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw him glance over at her and in an offhanded voice, he said, “You are beautiful. Just not in the Florida sun bunny way.”

“Sun bunny? What does that even—no, you know, I don’t want to know. I don’t need any reminders that I’m barreling into old age. I prefer to fool myself into thinking I’m still twenty-nine.” She wrapped her arms about herself and stared ahead into the darkness. She didn’t want to hear how she was unconventionally pretty. Unconventionally pretty meant just attractive enough to not look like a bridge troll, but not exactly the type of woman who drove men wild. She was the sort guys liked to hang out and watch football with. She was not the sort they bought drinks for and fell all over themselves in the hopes of catching her attention. It was something she’d made peace with years ago, after yet another guy offered up the You’re like a sister to me or, it’s not you, it’s me excuses. Maybe that was why she’d been so willingly to try to look the other way where Scott was concerned. True, he only used her, but still…

Her gaze went to the dark ink stretching across the backs of Ray’s hands from his shirtsleeves. No one would ever tattoo her name on their forearm.

“Old age? You’re younger than I am and I don’t consider myself as being old.”

“You’re also a guy and everyone knows it’s not the same for guys. You’re allowed to get old. Women aren’t. That’s why you’re out taking pictures of guys your age sneaking around with girls young enough to be their daughters. I’ll bet you do that more often than you take ones of older women sneaking around with younger guys.”

For a moment, she expected him to argue and tell her most guys weren’t like that and that of course there were plenty of cougars on his watch as well. But then, he tapped his fingers lightly against the steering wheel. “Yeah. I think we’re hardwired to search out younger women. Propagation of the species and all.”

“Propagation of the species. And even when I was that young, I knew I didn't want kids, so there would be no propagating there.” She sighed softy, leaning her head back against the seat as the butt warmer kicked in and a soothing heat swept up into the middle of her back.

“Odds are, that guy doesn’t want them with his girlfriend, either. He just wants to know he’s not old and what better way to prove it to himself than shagging a far younger model?”

She bit back another sigh. That didn't make her feel any better and she wished she hadn’t said anything about Florida to begin with. Getting older was difficult enough as it was and now she’d just depressed herself on top of everything.

Ray hit the turn signal and made the left off Polk into the driveway, carefully easing between her Jetta and Graham’s Toyota.

Inside her apartment, Theo shrugged out of her jacket. “Well, now that I’ve depressed myself but good,” she said, hanging it up, “how about that third beer?”

“Sounds good. Sit,” he pointed to the laundry still on the sofa, “if you can find a spot, and I’ll grab them.”

While he went into the kitchen, she swept the laundry into the basket and set it on the floor alongside the sofa and when he came back, Ray grinned. “You live like I did in college, you know.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It’s not bad, it’s just… not what I expected when Ty told me you’d agreed to let me mooch off you.”

“You’re paying rent, Ray.” She took one off the bottles. “It’s not mooching if you’re paying rent.”

“Either way, I thought you’d be uptight about a lot more than you are and that I’d be killing myself to find my own place. But,” he sank onto the coffee table across from her, “I like it here. And unless you want me to leave, I don’t mind being here a little longer.”

“How much longer?”

“Are you in a hurry to have me out?”

“I don’t know. It depends on the story you were going to tell me.”

“The one about Cassie?”

She nodded. “Unless there is a second deep dark secret about you, yeah. The one about Cassie.”

His smile fade and he lifted the bottle to his lips for a long pull. Theo didn't push, but lifted her own bottle as she waited. Then, he set it down and said, “I thought she’d killed this guy. She was a dancer and had been seeing this guy when we met. Stewart Green.”

A stripper. Or course Cassie was a stripper. A drop-dead gorgeous one, too, no doubt. Still, she nodded. “Why did you think she’d killed him?”

“He used to smack her around. She finally left him and we hooked up and ol’ Stew didn’t like that very much. He started showing up at the club on nights she’d be working and he and I got into it more than once, but it never got out of hand because you’re really not going to kick a guy’s ass in the middle of a strip club, right? Anyway, one night, I was late getting to the club and as I was walking up from the parking lot, I saw her come out of the building and go off into the woods, like with a purpose. So I followed her and I—”

He stopped, his gaze going to the beer bottle between his tattooed hands. He rolled the bottle slowly, without looking up, and finally, she said, “You don’t have to tell me, if you’d rather not.”

He looked up then, his blue eyes direct as he shook his head. “No… I don’t mind… it’s… well, by the time I reached this clearing, she was nowhere to be found and he was there, dead and bloody and I thought she’d killed him.”

Theo’s stomach twisted at the hints of pain in his deep voice. “So what happened? Did she ever explain it?”

“Not for almost twenty years.” He set the bottle on the table next to him. “I didn't see her after that night until about a year ago. But,” he paused again, drew a deep breath, and said, “I thought she’d butchered this guy, and I couldn’t let her be charged with murder, so… I dragged him out of there, cut him up, and disposed of him.”

He spoke about it so calmly, so matter-of-factly, as if of course that was what one did when one happened upon a murdered guy. The pit of her stomach just felt clean away. Her mouth went dry. She swallowed hard. “Wh-what?”

“Yeah. If you can believe it.”

“Wait… are the cops going to show up here looking for you?”

“No. I’ve already been through it all with the police back home. They originally thought I’d murdered Green, but it’s all good now. I’m in the clear. And Cassie is now Megan Shaw. She got married not quite a year ago, after Green’s murder was solved.”

“So… you’ve pined for this woman for almost two decades?”

“I did. I didn’t know why she’d left. I didn’t know where she’d gone. All I knew was she was gone.”

Theo sighed softly. “You put yourself in danger of being charged with murder for a woman who just up and vanished on you?”

“Something like that, yeah.”

“Wow. She must have been something.”

“She was.”

Theo’s heart skipped a painful beat at the hints of longing in Ray’s voice. Two decades. Cassie just up and left him. She married someone else, and he still pined for her, from the looks of things. Just her luck.

Not that it mattered. They were roommates. They were becoming friends.

Nothing more and nothing less.

But, as she sat there across from him, she realized she wouldn’t have minded it if there was something more.

But there wasn’t and he was obviously still not over Cassie-now-Megan, and Theo was not about to throw herself at a guy who would be thinking about another woman while he was with her. Been there, done that, and didn’t even have the crappy tee shirt to show for it.

She moved to stand up, and apparently Ray’d had the same idea, for she found herself face to face—or rather, face to chest, since he was so much taller than she was, and as he stood, he said, “Theo, I didn't quite mean it—”

“You don’t need explain anything,” she told him, reaching around him to snag his empty, “I mean, she is important to you.”

“She was,” he corrected her as she straightened up, and he took both bottles from her, “but that was a long time ago.”

She looked up at him again. “You don’t need to explain anything further. I’m just glad you weren’t charged with murder.”

A car door slammed in the distance and Ray cleared his throat. “Theo, I—oh, fuck me—”

With that, he bent toward her and a moment later, his lips crashed against hers. He caught her around the waist, the beer bottles banging softly against her back, but she paid them almost no mind as he bent her back ever so slightly and his lips softened against hers. Soft. Warm. They moved slowly against hers, parting as his tongue probed gently against her. She parted her lips, her toes almost curling at the teasing glide of his tongue along hers. The arms about her tightened, pulled her closer still, and as she draped her arms about his neck, his shaggy hair brushed the backs of her arms, the backs of her wrists.

His kiss came slow and deep and teasing and it was, without a doubt the best kiss she’d had in a long time. Maybe in forever. All she knew was butterflies went wild in her belly, her blood seemed to heat up like water in a kettle, and every instinct she had screamed at her to grip his tee shirt by the back and tug it up.

When he drew back, they were both on the breathless side and for Theo, she couldn’t remember the last time her heart beat fast enough to make her feel somewhat dizzy. He met her gaze and offered up a sheepish smile, whispered, “I’ll not apologize for that, you know,” and angled in to capture her lips once more.

[roseduroi]

I believe in you || Theo Raeken

Pairing: Theo Raeken x Reader

Word count: 3,193

Summary: Theo Raeken has always been known as the Bad Guy, the Villain of the story. When he came back from Hell, no one believed he'd learned his lesson. But that's until a sweet petite girl shows up, offering her help. Takes place at 6x12

{A/N}: I was never good at writing summaries. My very first story inserting the Reader! I know how much sometimes it means to read a preference (or a Fanfiction, or an Imagine, or a One-shot), a story with a {Y/N}; how much it can help. It's even better to read it about you and your heroes. To have an opportunity to imagine something you wish was true.  

So being a fangirl and some-kind-of-writer, I wrote a few parts series about one of my favorite characters. English isn't my native language, I'm so sorry for the mistakes.

Much much love and happy reading!

It was one of those cold nights that Theo had to spend in his car. After he had come back from Hell, he became homeless. His “family” kicked him out, probably because they were still afraid of him; after all, he had tortured them, manipulated them, and used them. And Theo didn’t even blame them, heck he totally understood these people. He was cruel and ruthless, and selfish back then, no wonder why he didn’t have friends either to ask for help. No one wanted to help him, he was known as the Bad Guy, and one of the hardest things in life is to get rid of the reputation you’ve made over the years, months, or even weeks. After all, it only takes seven seconds to make your first impression and weeks to try to change it into something better.

No one believed that he’d changed and was no longer the same guy who only wanted power. Being in Hell made its point that the power isn’t everything. Cruelty doesn’t make you powerful, but it makes you feared. And as much as Theo had tried to make them believe he’d changed, it had always been pointless, because no one had listened. And he thought he deserved it, every second he spent on Earth after he’d returned from Hell, Theo believed he merited it. He considered himself that he didn’t deserve forgiveness, that forgiveness had to be earned and that that it would be earned, at first he needed to be given a chance to finally prove that there is some good left in him. But no one had given a try. Why should they anyway? After everything he’d done, after all that pain he’d caused, bad things he’d done, why should they spare him? Not for nothing they say karma is a bitch.

Theo parked his car near the abandoned building, away from the city center, hoping that at least here he would get some rest without any interrupting from the police and he could finally fall asleep in peace.  He wrapped the blanket around himself and lay on his back, placing one arm under his head, and another on his abdomen. The young male lifted his eyes and looked at the night sky view through the window of the car. It was probably the only positive thing about sleeping in the truck. The sky was always beautiful, cloudy or not, it was one of the most beautiful things he's ever seen, and he wouldn’t have seen it if he was in the house, on the comfortable bed, sleeping under the roof.

But mostly he liked to stare at the stars, these shiny small dots in the sky which showed you the path you should go. He listened to, with the help of the wind rustling tree leaves; from time to time his ears caught the sounds of a passing car across the street or the fading footsteps of a simple human. He always gazed at the Moon, his hazel eyes scanning over it all, remembering the story about how the sun loved the Moon so much he died every night to let her breathe. Theo never stopped looking, dreaming or thinking about it, he just always waited until his eyes felt heavy and sleep took over his body, sinking into the deep Kingdom of sleep.

He closed his eyes, just wanting to rest for a little while before one of the deputies shows up again and tells him to leave. But just as he’d closed his hazel eyes, a soft knocking on the window could be heard.

A deep sigh left his mouth. He just wanted to get some sleep, was it too much to ask?

The light brown-haired male frowned and began to say something, but when he saw that the person outside the window wasn’t someone he’d expected to see standing there, he quickly shut his mouth. Theo widened his eyes and slowly sat up when he saw a girl, standing in front of him with a sincere and friendly smile on her face.  

It was {Y/N}, {Y/N} McCall, Scott’s little sister. Her hair was braided into a messy thick braid with a few strands falling on her face.  Her eyes were big and full of empathy and gentleness. Her cheeks were pink and a little bit puffy from the coldness. She wore a white long-sleeved shirt with black small elephants all over the soft material. While her black jeans matched her white converse shoes. {Y/N} was a very beautiful, petite girl, who sparkled with her innocence and kindness.  

Theo didn’t know her very well though. He didn't get a chance to get to know her better. Sure, he's met her in person before and all, they've even exchanged a few words between each other, but that's it, nothing more, nothing less. He remembered the day he met her, the early Saturday morning when he accidentally spilled his coffee all over her t-shirt, ruining it at the process. It wasn't like it had never happened before, because it sure had, many times before, because let's be clear, he was never an early morning person, so anyway, he'd been expecting some yelling, snapping and harsh words flying everywhere (that was what he'd always received after) but instead of it he got a soft "it's okay" from her.      

After that, they’d become friends, sort of. When Scott had found out about Theo being friends with his little sister, he strictly forbade her from seeing him, but {Y/N} didn’t take it very well. She was hurt knowing that Scott didn’t support her friendship with Theo, and she was even more hurt when her mum, Melissa, had taken her brother’s side, agreeing with him that it was for the best if Theo weren’t in her life. The Chimera hadn’t been very surprised by such a behavior. No, he‘d even understood why Scott was doing so and why Melissa was agreeing with him and not {Y/N}. {Y/N} had a very soft heart, she was naïve. And that was why Theo had chosen to back away.  He was starting to care for her and caring for her meant danger. She would’ve been in danger if he’d stayed in her life. He didn’t want that, Scott and his mum were right, it was for the best.

“{Y/N}?“ Theo asked, sitting up, his voice full of surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“I went grocery shopping.” The girl answered quickly, gripping her jeans as he frowned a little bit, clearly knowing she was lying. He didn’t even need to listen to her heartbeat to tell she’d lied, her eyes said everything that was needed. And besides all the stores were closed at this hour. “What are you doing here?”

“Admiring the sky.” The Chimera simply pointed out and got out of the car, a small frown still on his face. She took a small step back, giving him some space and tilting her head that she could look into his eyes. “Why are you really here? And don’t lie.” He asked, looking straight into her eyes and listening to how quickly her heart was beating. She was nervous and... Did he smell concern?

“I...” {Y/N} stopped briefly, thinking if she should say the real reason why she was here. The young girl shyly tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear as a small blush appeared on her now gentle pink cheeks. “I-I’m here for you.” She stuttered.

“You don’t have to sleep in the car every night.” She looked down at the ground, finding her shoes very interesting now. “It’s not safe.”  

The male’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t need your pity.” He bickered, his voice coming out a bit harsher than he wanted to. The girl’s eyes widened and she looked up at him.

“It’s not pity.” She shook her head. “I just think you don’t deserve it.” The girl said and after a brief moment of silent, she added. “No one does.”

“I do,” Theo said and dropped his gaze, no longer wanting to look into her eyes. “I killed my own sister, {Y/N}, your brother. I had done horrible things to people, to your friends. How come I don’t deserve so?” She cringed a little when he mentioned Scott. She remembered that night, remembered how her mum was trying to save him, how tears streamed down her face, she remembered the indescribable fear she felt for her big brother. But she shook off the bad memory; she wasn’t there to remind him of his horrible decisions and mistakes he’d made. No. She was there to help him, not judge him.

{Y/N} focused on his guilty eyes that wouldn’t meet hers.

“You were literally dragged to Hell. That was your punishment. People change, Theo.” She said softly, staring into his eyes when he’d finally looked at her. “You’ve changed.”

“Not everyone would agree with you on this one, Peaches.” He told her, using her nickname. The girl frowned her eyebrows a little as her lower lip protruded in a small, imperceptible pout. He always called her that, it was a nickname made by him for only her. From the very first day he met her, as he saw these pink soft cheeks of hers, which painted, even more, pinker as she blushed, the nickname Peaches had stuck ever since then.  

“Who cares what others think?” She asked, deciding to ignore the nickname.

Theo had always admired how she’s always tried to see the good in people, even in those who have made bad decisions in their life. Just like him. She always wanted to give them a change, saying if people would try to be kinder to one another, try to understand each other a little bit more often; the world would be a better place. Perhaps it would, after all, we’ve created the world we are now living in ourselves, but in the same way, we can make it better. We are the blacksmith of our lives. We made it this way, but we can also try to make it better.

The girl sighed. “I didn’t come here to judge you, Theo. I came here because I want to help you.” She told him softly and took a step closer to him.

“You could spend a few nights or as much as you need at my house, you know until you get back on your feet. I would talk to my mum and Scott; you wouldn’t have to worry about them.” Theo felt a warm feeling spread across his chest as she continued talking. The thought of her caring for him warmed his heart. “It’s not safe to be here, especially at night time. Anything could happen.”

“I’m a Chimera, {Y/N}. I can defend myself perfectly fine." Theo reminded her, closing his eyes for a brief moment before opening them, his now glowing golden eyes staring directly at her. But when he flicked his wrist and his sharp claws sprouted out, the girl flinched and without realizing it she took a small step back.

Theo froze as he noticed her flinching. He quickly shifted his eyes back to normal and retracted his claws, not wanting to scare her more, it was the last thing he wanted to do. God, how could he be so stupid? He looked at her, wanting to see her eyes, but she was staring at the ground as if she were embarrassed about what has just happened.

“See what I’m talking about?” After some time of silence, he spoke gentle, causing her to lift up her head and look at him with sad eyes. “How can people trust me, if they‘re afraid?”

“Theo, I’m not–“ but he cut her off.

“You should go. It’s late. Scott and your mum are probably worrying that you’re not home.” He said calmly. “And believe me when I say none of them will be happy if they find out you’re with me.”

“I’m not going anywhere without you. And if necessary, I’ll stay here all night."

He was fascinated by her stubbornness and determination. He loved to see that spark that lighted her eyes when she defended something that she thought was right. But right now it wasn’t one of those moments. Yes, she was very kind by offering him to stay at her house and help him get back on his feet again, but he also knew that even if she did talk to her brother and mum, they still wouldn’t change their mind. {Y/N} would just get in trouble because of him. Scott would probably get mad at her and Melissa wouldn’t be very pleased too. He knew how much her family meant to her, and he would never try to stand between her family and her. He just couldn’t hurt her that much.

So he looked into her eyes for the last time, giving her that "go home" look, and got into the driver's seat, leaving her standing there alone, lost in her own thoughts.

A soft shaky sigh left {Y/N}’s mouth as she shivered. It was late and they both were tired, but the girl wasn’t going anywhere. She didn’t come here just to have a pep talk with him and go home. No, and if she needed to prove to him that she wasn’t pitying him, fine, she’d do it, she’d stay here all night if necessary. She cared for him, deeply.

When she looked at Theo, his eyes were closed, but she knew he wasn’t sleeping. The girl frowned slightly. Maybe the feelings were one-sided? Maybe he really didn’t change and Scott and Melissa were right? Maybe some people don’t change, that they’re just overwhelmed with anger and can feel only contempt for others human beings..? But she refused to think that way. She just couldn’t. If it’s not her who will see the good in others, then who will?  

She slowly sat down on the cold ground and leaned against the door of the truck. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, trying to warm up. The night was pretty cold and she began to regret she hadn’t taken a jacket with herself. She just didn’t think she would need to spend the night outside. The girl put her head on her knees and closed her eyes, listening to the loud silence.

After some time Theo opened his eyes and sighed. {Y/N} was still here and she really was not going to go anywhere without him. He could clearly and loudly hear how rapidly her heart was beating from the cold. He heard her teeth chattering, her hard breathing, and how she moved from time to time, trying to warm herself up at least a little bit. He couldn’t continue listening to it as if it was nothing, he couldn’t ignore it anymore. It was like being tortured, worse. Theo cared for her and listening to her shaking from the cold hurt him. And if she gets sick, it will be his entire fault.

The Chimera looked at the car’s mirror and only then he understood that she really was going to keep her word and won’t go anywhere. She just sat there, curled up in a ball on attempt to keep herself warm, and probably thinking how much of an idiot he was now being.

Theo frowned when he got out of the car and the chilly wind met his face. The night was cool, the wind blew gentle but chilly breezes as the small dots were brightly shining in the sky. He turned his head to the left, his gaze softening at the sight in front of him.

“{Y/N}?” He whispered but didn’t get any response. Could she have fallen asleep in this chilly weather? Theo knelt down in front of her trembling body and carefully put his large hand on her knee, giving it a firm but gently shake. “Peaches, wake up.”

“Theo?” {Y/N} blinked. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked at the kneeling Chimera in front of her.  

“Come on, let’s go to the car.” He told her gently. “You’re shaking.”

“You care.” The girl smiled softly and slowly stood up. His arms were gently placed on her torso, holding her balance, while her palms rested on his broad shoulders and her cheek was pressed to his firm chest. Theo was warm and she needed someone to hold her. She felt happy. Never in her life has she felt this safe as she felt now being held in his arms. He was giving her everything a woman would ever want from her man. Protection. Love. Warmth.

She didn’t know when it happened. She didn’t know when she started to have those feelings for him. Maybe it was when she saw him for the very first time or maybe when he saved Liam, but from that exact moment, she knew he’d changed. The old Theo would have never done that. From that moment, she knew he was trying to fix things up; he was trying to be better and maybe just then she realized she felt something more than friendly feelings toward him. She didn’t know, but what she did know was that, that at this exact moment she just wanted to feel his lips on hers.

Everything was perfect. The stars, the Moon, even that chilly wind wasn’t that chilly anymore. When their eyes met, it seemed like everything froze. She slowly shut her eyes, tilting up her head a little and when their lips were just inches apart, Theo opened his eyes and pulled away.

He pulled away… he rejected her.

But as soon as she wanted to step away from him, Theo growled and only then {Y/N} saw that they weren’t alone. Several men, hunters, stood before them, surrounding them and pointing their guns directly at her and Theo. Theo’s eyes flashed gold as he gently pushed the petite girl behind him, standing in front of her as if he was her shield. He could hear how quickly her heart was beating, telling him she was scared. And he was too; the thought of her being hurt frightened him.  

And then they fired.