Inspired by a post on Tumblr by Catherineosaur.

"You can't go out. It's not safe," Scott reminds Liam again.

The two teenagers are in Scott's bedroom. Dusk has just fallen around Beacon Hills, calling out the numerous supernatural creatures and assassins that called the town home.

"And it's not gonna become any safer if we don't do anything!" Liam fires back, pacing up and down the room.

He's so sick of being scared all the time. He's so incredibly done with fearing for his life every time he walks out the door, and he can't take Scott's protective behavior any longer. They need to stop this deadpool nonsense, and that's not going to happen while they wait around doing nothing.

"We need a plan, Liam," Scott tries to convince his beta, watching the boy from his position on the bed. He keeps his voice low. Liam's angry, and Scott knows his disorder might make him do reckless things. "But first, you need to calm down..."

"I'm not going to calm down!" Liam shouts. His breathing has quickened from the pointless walking around. This is stupid. He should be out there and doing something. He has been training. He's strong enough to take those people that so wanted them dead. They always used to take him by surprise, but this time he will be prepared.

Scott puffs out a quiet sigh. "Look, I know it's a mess right now, and I know the longer we wait, the more people will get killed..." He swallows. "...But if we go out without a plan, we might get killed ourselves."

"God!" Liam sounds frustrated. "Scott, we won't! There's two of us. We will have each other's backs."

"I'm not going with you, Liam."

"Fine! Then don't," Liam retorts. His hands are balled into fists next to his sides. He has stopped pacing and is eying Scott with a serious look. "But I am going."

"Liam-"

But the younger one's hand is already tight on the door handle. Scott's behind him in a single fluent motion, placing a hand on Liam's shoulders, as he has done countless times before. It's a reminder set to ground Liam. To keep him steady; to stop him drowning in his own rage.

"Liam, please don't go," Scott says, squeezing the boy's shoulder. "I care about you."

Liam clenches his jaw. His stomach is boiling and he can feel the heroic tingles of adrenaline moving inside his blood.

"Please, don't go," Scott repeats when he doesn't get a response from his beta.

He could use his alpha powers to make Liam stay, but he's not going to. He refuses to use that mind control over someone, especially someone so close to him.

"I'll see you around, Scott," Liam whispers through gritted teeth, shaking off his touch and walking out the door.

"Liam!" Scott calls after him in the hallway. "Liam, stay!"

The volcano inside of Liam erupts. Fuming, he turns around and stalks back over to his alpha, looking him dead in the eye. "No! I am not staying!" He raises his voice. "I'm sick of having to look over my shoulder all the time and if you don't wanna help me then fine. But I'm over it. You have always told me that there's nothing wrong with being scared, but maybe it's time you admit to yourself that you're the one who's scared." His face is inches from Scott's. "But I'm done being a victim. I'm done feeling helpless. And if you don't want to be the same way, then fine, be useless." He almost spits out those last words. Liam's rational thoughts have turned into a clouded fog of fury, and he can't believe that even after his whole speech, Scott still isn't moving.

Instead, the older one has averted his gaze to the floor. He's too hurt by Liam words, knowing very well that only three kinds of people speak the truth: children, people who are drunk and the ones who are angry. If Liam really thinks of him as useless and scared, Scott's not going to argue that. Especially not when the colors in Liam's ocean eyes have deepened to the cold darkness of the bottom of the sea. He knows that at this point, he won't be able to get through to him.

So he listens to the front door shut. A loud bang causes the hinges to shriek and Scott slumps his upper body. It only takes the sound to die down before he already regrets not having gone with his beta. He knows he should always support him, but he refuses to go on a suicide mission.

Maybe Liam's right. Maybe Scott is too scared himself to do anything. Damn it, he should have convinced Liam to stay. How could he have let him leave? He's his beta. Scott's the reason he has to deal with all of this and if Liam does get killed, his death's on Scott. It will be his fault.

The realization of what Scott has - or actually hasn't - done sinks in. He needs to protect Liam. A deep sigh slips from his lungs when he grabs his jacket and his helmet from his room and walks downstairs. He needs to go after him. He's not going to fight and neither is Liam. Even if that means Scott has to kidnap him and chain him to his bathtub again. Just like he had done right after he had bitten Liam.

So as the town grows darker, deeper into the night, Scott searches. With every minute that passes, he starts to feel more unsure. What if Liam has already fallen into the wrong hands? What if, right now, Liam was getting himself killed? Would Scott able to feel that? Would the werewolf inside him howl if its beta was dead? He tries not to think about it, but can't help but wonder if the bond they shared would tell him that much.

It takes Scott two hours to finally admit that Beacon Hills is a big place. He has checked the school, some abandoned buildings; he has even checked Liam's house on the off chance that the boy had come to his senses and headed home.

But Scott knows that last thought was nothing more than a doomed attempt at hope. When Liam sees red in front of his eyes, he's a lost cause. He can't think straight anymore, and he's just going to burn up in those flames of fury until his body is exhausted. And knowing Liam's energy levels, that could take all night.

On his bike, Scott drives into the woods, checking to see if maybe some sick psychopath had come to the brilliant idea to throw Liam into the well again. The memory pains Scott, and to top off his guilt he is suddenly reminded of the fact that his beta's worth eighteen million dollars to one of those hunters. The alpha groans, throwing his helmet to the ground in frustration. He sits down on the edge of the well, rubbing his face with his gloved hands. How is he supposed to find Liam? His werewolf senses aren't picking up anything; no heartbeat, no scent, no anything…and it's not like there was a logic to where Liam had run off to. It's not like he had a plan.

Because if he did have a plan, Scott would have gone with him, and they wouldn't be stuck in this mess right now.

The guilt's eating away at Scott's insides until he can't take it anymore. His eyes flash red and the wolf inside of him climbs from the pit of his stomach to the surface. A desperate howl bursts from his throat, calling out for his beta to answer to him. It's so loud that he needs to catch his breath. Trees are shaking from it. In the meantime he pricks up his ears, listening for a response.

It's a new glimmer of hope and it's tiny as hell, but Scott latches onto it with all his being. His fingers are fumbling with each other as he tries to wait patiently. The sound needs to travel and reach Liam. What was the speed of sound again? 760 mph? Scott wished he paid more attention in physics class.

So how long should it take Liam to hear him if he was, like, in a ten mile radius?

Scott shakes his head at himself. He knows he's just trying to keep himself occupied. Distracted, so that he won't start assuming the worst: that Liam has been captured and they've taped over his mouth. Or that he's already dead.

At thirteen minutes after midnight, the alpha gives up. He's not going to find Liam now. He has run out of places to look for him and Scott's tired. Defeated.

On his way home, he promises to himself that he will continue his search first thing the next morning. He vows that that's also the last thing that's going to infiltrate his mind on the subject. There isn't much he can do anymore, so he needs to let go. Switch off his guilt and try to focus on something else. Anything but the worry crawling up his spine.

He doesn't bother taking off his clothes when he falls onto his bed. Even the light's still on, but Scott just wants to go to sleep so that he can wake up again as quickly as possible.

Miraculously, he drifts off. He's hanging on the edge of a cliff, holding on to his last sorrows. One by one, his fingers slip, allowing himself to let go.

When he's about to fall down into the bliss that is the oblivion of sleep, he picks up on a noise at his front door. Scott tries to sink deeper into his mattress, ignoring the sound that is probably caused by a wandering cat. He refuses to admit to his paranoia by checking.

But then his eyes flash open when he's sure he's heard something like a knock. It is in that moment that Scott realizes that he won't be able to sleep at all that night, and he grumbles to himself when he steps out of bed. He knows perfectly well that his mind is playing tricks on him, and he resents himself for falling for them.

As he walks down the staircase with caution, Scott picks up on the faint smell of burned meat. He frowns, realizing that his mom is at work and that he didn't cook that night, so it's not like something could've been burning in the kitchen.

A shadow shifts along the walls of the hall. Scott looks in the direction that it should be coming from and runs to the door when he realizes it's from the window. Suddenly, he can hear a heartbeat, and then his nose recognizes the sweet smell of honey.

"Liam!" Scott exclaims when he steps out onto his porch.

He runs up to the boy, who is crouched down close to the floor, seemingly in pain. Scott's first instinct is to hug his beta tightly to his body, but then he notices the burned holes in Liam's clothes.

"Liam..." Scott chokes out. His hands are trembling as he holds them over the boy's body, but doesn't have the guts to touch him when he sees the burn marks on Liam's skin. "Oh my God," he whispers.

"Scott," Liam whines, trying to turn his head so that he can look at his alpha. "Scott, I'm sorry."

"Sshh," Scott soothes him. "It's okay. Let's get you inside. To my room."

Liam manages to scramble himself up onto his feet, but it isn't easy. He slips to his knees a couple of times and he can only use one hand to push himself up. The palm of his other is stinging way too much.

Scott resists the urge to help Liam, still standing with outstretched arms, his fingers hovering over his small frame. He leads Liam inside, but follows him up the stairs, figuring the boy can only fall down and not up. "You're almost there, Liam," he tells him.

"I-I'm so sorry," Liam repeats again before his body ripples into quiet sobs.

"It's okay. You're going to be okay," Scott comforts him.

A wave of relief washes over him when they finally make it to his bedroom. "Come. Over here," Scott indicates, opening the door to his en suite bathroom. He twists the taps and puts the plug in, making sure the water that is now flowing into the tub is lukewarm.

"No, don't!" he warns Liam, who is attempting to sit down on the floor. "It will hurt more if you have to get back up again."

Liam nods. There are tears streaming down his face. He's sure there isn't a spot on his body that isn't burning and the pain is almost unbearable. "S-Scott, it hurts," he sobs when he thinks he's going to pass out.

"I know. I know it does, Liam," Scott replies. He licks his dry lips. "But I'm going to take it away. I promise."

"I-I shouldn't have-" Liam can't finish his sentence. He goes into a crying fit, and it makes Scott choke up, too. He knows what Liam wants to say, and he feels even guiltier realizing that his beta is trying to apologize to him. Yet it's all Scott's fault. He left him alone, and now Liam's hurt. The worst thing is, Scott can only watch him break down in front of him. He can't hug him to his chest, stroke his back, tangle his fingers in his hair and tell him it's all going to be alright. He can't touch him, because he will hurt him.

"Wait here," Scott says when the tub is almost half full.

He hurries to his room and over to his desk. Turning over his pencil holder, he scurries through it for his scissors and rushes back to the bathroom.

"Try not to move too much, okay?" Scott requests softly.

He moves in front of him and takes the bottom of Liam's shirt in his hands. He bucks down a little and places the fabric in between the pair of scissors. Carefully, he starts cutting upwards. The cold metal touches Liam's sensitive skin a couple of times and it makes the boy cringe. Scott keeps whispering quiet apologies.

When he has reached the top of Liam's shirt, Scott catches Liam's gaze. His eyes are red and puffy from crying and Scott scrunches his nose up at another burn wound on Liam's cheek.

Then he starts working on Liam's jeans, and Scott thanks every God he knows that Liam had chosen a pair that day that weren't too tight. He cuts the legs all the way up to the top, unbuttoning them first. Again, when the scissors hit the skin of Liam's hips, the boy lets out a sob.

"Okay," Scott says. He turns off the tap behind him. "I'm going to be honest with you..." He looks down into Liam's eyes. "...This is going to hurt."

Liam sniffs and nods, clenching his jaw. He grits his teeth together, hoping that if he braces himself he can avoid screaming too much.

Scott takes a deep breath and starts stripping Liam from his jacket. With gentle touches of only his finger tips he pushes up the boy's arms a little. The jacket slides off Liam's shoulders, and the beta tightens his jaw as it slides over his wounds.

The jacket falls onto the floor and then the worst part comes. The fabric of Liam's shirt has melted into the burn wounds on his chest and stomach, and Scott needs to literally peel it off. He tries to do it as carefully as he can, but he has to give a little tug or two some times, erupting stifled whines from Liam's throat.

The younger one has thrown his head back into his neck, thinking that it will hurt less if he can't see what's happening to his body. He feels every fiber that gets ripped from his flesh.

It takes them a while, but finally Liam's in nothing but his underwear. Taking off his shoes and socks was a struggle, but fortunately it didn't hurt as much as taking off his pants. His whining has subsided into little sniffs. Scott has opened the little window, and the outside air feels cool against Liam's burned skin. It takes a small fragment of the pain away.

He looks up when he hears a zipper behind him. Scott's shirtless and taking off his trousers. Liam is confused and frowns at him. "W-What are you d-doing?"

Scott gives him a weird look. "Going into the bath with you." He states it in such a matter-of-fact way that it almost makes Liam doubt himself that he should be surprised by it.

He decides not to go against his alpha. He's never going to anymore. Never. From now on, he will do whatever Scott tells him to do. If that means taking a bath with him, something he has never done before with anyone, then so he will.

Scott steps into the tub. Liam's glad he didn't take his underwear off as well, because even though he would oblige the older boy, he would sure feel even more awkward.

The water doesn't feel cold to Scott, but it's also definitely not warm enough to keep him from shivering. When the water has surrounded his body up to his chest, he motions to Liam. "Come, sit down. But be careful. Don't slip."

Liam catches his still trembling bottom lip between his front teeth. Scott wants him to sit in the bathtub with him...and is telling him to sit against his chest...

Scott watches Liam hesitate. "Come on," he urges. He doesn't understand Liam's sudden discomfort at the situation. It's not like he's going to leave the boy in the tub all by himself. Even though his body's hot and the water's cold, and the shock of it is going to hurt. Scott can take some of that pain away, but he'll need to touch Liam. Sure, he could have done that from the side, by holding his hand or something, but he's not going to risk Liam going full hypothermia or something and drowning.

"Liam," he says, his voice now less urgent, more gentle. "It's okay."

The beta snaps out of his thoughts and nods. He puts his hands on the edge of the tub, wincing at the pain in his left palm, and slowly sinks a foot into the water.

The burn mark on his shin makes contact with the liquid, and Liam is surprised when he feels the burning sensation getting more intense. "Ouch," he moans softly. "I-Isn't this supposed to h-help?"

"Just wait..." Scott answers.

And when his voice dies down, Liam can feel the pain subsiding a little. It isn't much, but at least it's something. He realizes that he has to go through that peak of pain level again when he puts his other foot in. And also when he lowers himself. And when the water hits his stomach, his sides, his back. His chest, his shoulders. He can point out exactly where every wound starts, where they end and where another begins. He can tell how deep they are when the water seeps through his healing cells.

Then he's against Scott's body. Liam stretches out his legs between Scott's and bites down on his tongue as the skin on his back makes contact with Scott's broad chest.

"Now just breathe." Scott's mouth is close to his ear.

The alpha closes his eyes and starts to make contact with Liam using his entire body. He inhales sharply. His veins darken, becoming more visible as Liam's pain seeps through them. He can't shake the remorse when he feels how much Liam's hurting. Scott can only take a little of it away, but when Liam lets out a tiny sigh that has a hint of relief in it, Scott's at least a little satisfied.

They sit in the tub like that for a while, silently. Scott needs to take breaks between each time he takes some of Liam's pain away. He continues until he notices that the wolf inside of his beta is starting to heal him.

"Scott?" Liam breaks the quiet atmosphere between them, his voice still soft. "I'm sorry..."

"For what?"

"For not listening to you," Liam says, shrugging a little. "I know I should have."

Scott sighs. "No, Liam. I should've gone with you instead."

"Why?" Liam frowns. "So that you could've been attacked by a psycho with a flamethrower too?"

Scott swallows. "Is that what happened?"

Liam gives a little nod. Scott's third eye is already forming images of how the assassin had tried to burn his beta to death.

"So...yeah...I should have listened..." Liam murmurs when silence falls between them again. It makes him feel insecure when Scott isn't saying anything and when he can't see his face.

Scott shakes his head, ridding his mind of the terrible images. He swallows around the lump that has formed in his throat. "Let's...let's just not talk about it anymore, okay?" he offers, pressing a kiss to the top of Liam's head. "Just know that, from now on, I'm always going to be there for you."

"And I will never not listen to you ever again."

Scott smiles, rubbing his lips against Liam's damp hair with closed eyes. "Okay. Deal."

They remain in the bath until their skin looks like those of old people. Liam's wolf is done healing him, and now he starts to feel tired. Right when he is about to mention that falling asleep in the water isn't the best idea, Scott's mind proves to be quicker.

"Let's get out," he says. "Or else you'll get cold."

Liam blushes a little when Scott grabs a towel and is rubbing him dry. It's not like Liam can't do it himself, but he lets Scott do it, knowing it comforts him.

And it does. It makes Scott feel less guilty towards his beta.

"I'll go dry off and change in my room," the older one says when he has handed Liam a pair of boxer briefs.

Liam looks up at him with wide eyes, but naturally Scott isn't aware of how weird what he's offering is, just blinking back at him with a blunt look. "Don't worry, I won't look," the dark haired guy jokes, shoving Liam playfully before he exits the bathroom.

Liam shakes his head as he puts on the underwear. He tries not to think about it too much, but he can't help but give himself a quick look in the mirror. Seeing himself in such a private piece of clothing makes his stomach tingle, which gets worse when he realizes it's his alpha's.

He quickly enters Scott's bedroom, finding that the other has just finished changing himself. "Would you like a shirt or sweatpants or something?" the guy asks. "I know you tend to get cold at night..."

Liam blushes at the fact that Scott has remembered that and he nods silently. "Both would be nice..." He averts his gaze in slight embarrassment.

Scott walks over to his closet and pulls out some old stuff. It's too big for Liam, but the boy wears it gratefully. When Scott isn't looking, he quickly sniffs at the shirt and for a split second revels in the thought that everything he's wearing at the moment is Scott's.

And to make it even better, Scott wraps his arms around him right when he's about to fall asleep. Liam breathes in his alpha's scent, reminding him that he's safe.

And maybe even loved.