because somewhere along the way it became his seat.

that's where he sits when theo picks him up. that's where he steals his fries. that's where he falls asleep during late-night drives. that's where he puts his feet on the dashboard and gets yelled at for it.

so, one day somebody else gets into the passenger seat and liam immediately goes:

"....really?"

and everyone can hear the annoyance in his voice. it's obvious that he is two seconds away from growling.

the funniest part is that liam genuinely thinks he's being subtle.

he isn't.

because suddenly he's glaring at whoever's sitting there like they personally wronged him, while theo is trying not to laugh because he knows exactly what's happening.

and the thing is, liam probably doesn't even realize why he's upset at first. he just looks at the seat and his brain goes:

wrong.

incorrect.

illegal.

remove.

and of course theo becomes completely insufferable about it.

"hey liam, looks like somebody stole your seat. aren't you gonna fight for it?"

"theo."

"what?"

"don't."

but theo secretly loves it.

for years, theo was disposable. replaceable. useful when people needed him and ignored when they didn't.

and then there's liam, getting genuinely upset because someone else is sitting where he expects to be.

not because of the seat itself.

because that's their thing.

because that's where liam belongs when they're driving somewhere together.

theo would roll his eyes and call him ridiculous every single time.

— inside jokes

— favorite snacks

— someone waiting for him

— a future

liam gives him all four.

and theo secretly loves when liam drags him into normal teenage things because he never really got to have normal.