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liam is basically like;

"THEO LOOK"

"THEO LOOK"

"THEO LOOK"

"THEO LOOK"

meanwhile theo is like; "i'm driving, dunbar."

"LOOK ANYWAY."

liam is the boyfriend who sees a dog, and then another dog. and then a squirrel. and then a cloud shaped like a dog.

and theo gets seventeen texts in three minutes.

and theo's replies are like;

"👍"

"okay"

"cool"

"fine"

BUT THE THING IS

theo is secretly paying attention to EVERY SINGLE ONE

liam: remember that bakery i said i liked 3 months ago?

theo: the one on main street with the blueberry muffins, yeah.

liam: ...you remember that?

theo: yes, why?

liam: well, you left me on read when i texted you about there.

liam is 100% the boyfriend who sends:

> 47 messages

> 12 photos

> 3 voice notes

> 20 random tiktoks

all within the span of ten minutes.

theo responds;

> "👍"

and liam immediately;

"THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY???"

meanwhile theo has already watched the tiktok three times,

saved the photos,

listened to the voice notes twice.

and the funniest part is that everyone THINKS theo is the less attached one because he acts like it.

then liam disappears for six hours because he's with mason or something.

and suddenly theo is texting him like;

> "where are you?"

> "why aren't you answering?"

> "your phone exists for a reason, dunbar."

liam: awwww you missed me 🥺

theo: don't make this weird.

so, yes.

liam is: LALALALALALALALA 🌞✨🍬💓

and theo is: ok 👍

— while internally being the most emotionally attached person in a fifty mile radius 😭

the entire relationship is basically;

liam: I LOVE YOUUUUUUU

theo: noted.

and liam is theo's savior.

those words mean two different things and that difference is actually very important.

those are not interchangeable.

a protector keeps you safe from danger.

a savior pulls you back from destruction.

theo protects liam constantly.

physically, obviously.

ghost riders, hunters... random supernatural nonsense that beacon hills keeps producing like it's a factory.

but also emotionally.

the locker room scene in s6b is a perfect example.

liam was about to cross a line with gabe and theo stopped him.

not because gabe deserves mercy. not because theo suddenly became a saint.

because liam would have to live with it afterward.

theo is protecting liam from becoming someone he doesn't want to be.

that's protector behavior.

meanwhile liam's role is completely different. liam doesn't save theo from external threats. theo can handle external threats. theo spent years surviving horrors most people couldn't even imagine.

what theo can't survive is theo.

and that's where liam comes in.

liam, who dragged him out of hell. literally.

but even beyond that, liam keeps dragging theo back toward humanity.

back toward connection.

back toward caring.

back toward being a person instead of a weapon.

the funniest part is that theo fights liam every step of the way.

someone shoots at liam?

theo is already moving.

someone tries to save theo?

theo's immediate reaction is;

"no thanks. i can self-destruct perfectly fine on my own."

which is why liam's role feels so different.

theo doesn't need rescuing from monsters. he needs rescuing from isolation.

from guilt.

from the belief that he's fundamentally beyond redemption.

and liam keeps doing it without even realizing that's what he's doing.

it's why the relationship feels so balanced to me. because neither of them is doing the same job.

theo is constantly looking outward.

"what could hurt liam?"

liam is constantly looking inward.

"what is hurting theo?"

theo saves liam's life.

liam saves theo's soul.

that's why "protector" and "savior" hit differently.

a protector stands between you and danger.

a savior reaches for you when you've already fallen.

theo is the first one.

liam is the second one.

liam encourages it because it's hilarious.

theo once said, "that guy drives like an idiot." and liam immediately replied, "GET HIS ASS!!"

> "he's my responsibility."

> "being the bait."

> "i went through all this to keep YOU from being taken!"

> "why do you keep trying to save me?"

> "what? i like history." / "i'm impressed."

> "people only feel one emotion at a time, liam."