There's something about the way he feels when he sits down next to Jenna. A sense of calm washes over him, bathing him in a way that fills every cracked crevice Theo has. Like some sort of balm.
He doesn't remember the last time an adult made him feel this way. Liam and the rest of the McCall pack is different. They're around his age, just a few years difference for some of them, and he's in the same chaotic boat, crashing against violent waves trying to survive their fucked up life. They're all trying their best to patch each other up, try to keep spirits light and dandy because if not, then Theo knows they'll all crash and burn.
So, it's different with the other pack members. He can never truly let his guard down, not because he doesn't trust them (that has long passed; he's got their back and they've got his), but because he has the sense to protect them.
While he would kill for Jenna and die for her, there's something about her that makes his wolf settle and his senses dial down. There's something about her that makes him want to lie down and take a nap beside her. There's something about her that whispers safesafesafe in his head.
Theo can't remember the last time he felt this way.
Maybe with his own mother when he was younger, but those memories are all faded. He just can't exactly... remember how he was with his parents. With Tara, it's a little easier. A little more fresh. A little more apparent.
(He was safe with her. She wasn't safe with him.)
But when he curled up on the couch in Liam's house, blanket wrapped around him so he can feel warm (because he always feels so cold), he feels a bit safer. Then, when Jenna sits down next to him, TV remote in hand, putting on feel-good movies or shows, he shuts down.
Body goes lax, the thoughts in his mind slow down, and he can feel the heat she radiates.
This time, when she sits down next to him, Jenna places a pillow on her lap, and guides Theo so he's sprawled across her lap.
Theo freezes at first, not sure what to do with his limbs, not sure if he should say anything, but Jenna answers all these questions for him when she carefully runs her fingers through his hair.
Nobody has played with his hair. Ever.
He doesn't even play with his own hair. Sure, he'll brush it and gell it (not anymore; not since Liam made an comment about Theo looking better with his hair soft and no longer slicked back), but nothing like this. Nothing ever like this.
After just a few seconds, Theo relaxes. That feeling of being next to Jenna, feeling safe and his mind quiet and his limbs lax, comes back again. Even stronger now that she's playing with his hair.
The hums and murmurs of the movie that Jenna has put on the TV fills the silence. It's comfortable and everything Theo thinks he's needed in life.
A comforting hand, a comforting touch, a comforting presence.
Something he never got once he was taken by the Dread Doctors.
He hopes Jenna never stops playing with his hair. Against his will, Theo's eyes close and he sinks further into the pillow and into Jenna's hands.
(When Liam walks into his house, going into the living room, he stops dead in his tracks. He wouldn't have believed his mom if she told him that Theo was resting on her lap, head propped by a pillow with his mom playing with his hair. Like a cat.
But, the evidence is right in front of him.
His mom notices and gives him a small but genuine smile and gestures to Theo. "He's asleep," his mom whispers, "I'm telling you — every kid loves having their hair played with."
Liam's doesn't often see Theo voluntarily be exposed and vulnerable before. When Liam really looks at Theo, at the way his eyelashes flutter every once in a while, at the way his mouth is slightly open, at the way he looks so small curled up, he feels a grin form. And he can't seem to stop it.
In response to his mom, Liam joins them on the couch, by Theo's feet and shares a glance with his mom.
Theo belongs here. With them.)
