Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at

http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/13105650.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: M/M
Fandom: Teen Wolf (TV)
Relationship: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Character: Theo Raeken, Liam Dunbar, Derek Hale, Stiles Stilinski
Additional Tags: Married Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken, Married Derek Hale/Stiles
Stilinski, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Christmas, coming home for
Christmas, Sappy, Good Theo Raeken, Idiots in Love, Minor Derek
Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Theo and Liam Have Kids
Stats: Published: 2017-12-23 Words: 2829

Baby It's Christmas

by tabbytabbytabby

Summary

Theo goes with Derek to New York to meet with another pack. All flights get grounded so
they fear they won’t make it home by Christmas. They borrow a truck and drive back to
Beacon Hills through a snowstorm ensuring they get home to their families by Christmas.

Notes

This is my 100th fic on AO3. I'm dedicating this to my lovely Thiam family, my pack.
You guys are amazing and I'm sending all the love to you. Happy Holidays ♥
Based on this song by Colton Haynes and Travis-Atreo

See the end of the work for more notes

Theo hates having to leave Liam so close to Christmas. Hates having to leave their little family.
But Derek needs to talk to a pack in New York before the New Year and Theo couldn’t let him
go alone. Stiles is busy with work and looking after their daughter and no one else could do it.
Which leaves Theo. Derek’s his best friend and he’s not about to let him walk into a meeting with
another pack without backup. Not that either of them think it will be dangerous. It’s just nice to be
prepared.

Now standing at the gate with Liam as he prepares to get on a flight that will take him over a
thousand miles away from him and their girls, he’s not feeling so sure. Glancing over he can tell
Stiles and Derek are in the same boat. None of them want this. But it’s necessary. They need all
the allies they can get.

Theo stands there with Liam, their foreheads pressed together as they both try to soak in as much
as they can. He closes his eyes, letting Liam’s scent wash over him. When Liam speaks, his voice
is quiet, hoarse from the tears he’s obviously holding back, “I’ll miss you.”

Theo tightens his hold on Liam’s hips as he takes in a shaky breath, “I’ll miss you too. I’ll be back
as soon as I can.”

“By Christmas?”

“Yeah Liam, I’ll be home by Christmas.”

That’s the plan. Christmas isn’t for another week so Theo knows they have time to get to New
York and back before the holiday arrives. Derek had made sure of that. He can see Derek and
Stiles sharing a kiss before Derek pulls back, signaling to Theo that it’s time to go.

“I have to go,” Theo says, placing a lingering kiss to Liam’s lips, “Tell the girls I love them. I’ll
text you when we land.”

“No,” Liam says, “call me.”

Theo smiles, “Okay, I’ll call you.”

Theo and Derek are silent as they walk towards the gate and through security. This isn’t easy on
either of them. Derek sleeps on the plane, his head pressed to the window, but Theo can’t sleep.
His mind keeps drifting to Liam and their 2 little girls. They’re 4 and 6 so Christmas is still a big
deal for them. He knows he’s supposed to be back in time but he still feels like he’s missing out on
something by not being there now.

Theo sighs, pulling out his phone and thumbing through the pictures until he lands on their most
recent family photo. In it he has their oldest daughter Lana on his shoulders while Liam is doing
the same with their youngest Luna. They all have wide smiles on their faces in the first one, the
next one has Liam and Theo grinning at each other as the girls hold their joined hands in the air.

“Oh that’s precious,” a voice beside him says, causing Theo to look over at the woman next to
him, “is that your family?”

Theo nods, smiling proudly, “Yeah it is.”

“How old are your girls?”

“Lana is 6 and Luna is 4,” Theo says, pointing to each girl in turn.

“Pretty names,” the woman says, “and unique.”

“My husband is a big Harry Potter fan,” Theo says, chuckling to himself. That had been a long
talk, ending with Theo finally giving in just so he could end the ridiculous conversation. He can’t
deny the name Luna fits their girl though. She’s certainly a free spirit, even at 4 years old. Lana
though, Lana had been Theo’s idea.

“Well your family is lovely,” she says, then peers around him to look at Derek, “friend of yours?”

“Yeah, my best friend. He needed to go on a trip for business. I didn’t want him to have to travel
alone so I agreed to go.”

“Well that’s nice of you to offer to go with him so close to Christmas.”

“He has a family as well,” Theo says, “it’s not easy on either of us but we’ll hopefully be back in
time for Christmas.”

“I’ll say a prayer for you both,” the woman says, nodding her head, “that you both have safe
travels and make it home in time for Christmas.”

Theo smiles, offering his thanks, not having the heart to tell the woman he’s an atheist. She
believes, that’s what matters. The two lapse into comfortable silence after that, Theo giving in and
pulling out a book while the woman works on her knitting.

Soon they’re arriving in New York. Theo says goodbye to the woman, whose name he found out
was Mary, and Theo and Derek head to claim their bags. Now they just need to get through the
meeting with the pack so they can get home.

The meeting with the pack goes smoothly, a lot smoother than either of them could have hoped.
The Alpha Nate is only a year older than Derek which makes it a little more comfortable for all of
them. Theo had been worried about meeting with some stuffy stern old man. Instead they get Nate
who is funny and charming and understands their situation. He gets them through all the necessary
talks as fast as they can, knowing that Theo and Derek want to get home to their families.

The last night they’re there a storm comes in, covering New York in even more snow than before.
Theo can see the tense set to Derek’s jaw and doesn’t have to wonder what’s going through the
Alpha’s head.

“We’ll get home,” Theo says, “we have to.”

Derek looks at him sadly, “Our flight isn’t until tomorrow morning. They could have the flights
grounded by then.”

Theo wants to deny it but he knows it’s possible. Sure enough, a few hours later a notice goes out
that all flights are grounded until further notice. Theo feels his heart sink in his chest. Derek sighs
next to him, pulling out his phone to no doubt call Stiles.

Theo does the same, his hands shaking as he hits the call button, “Hey Liam.”

He hears a sigh on the other end of the line, “You’re not going to make it home by Christmas, are
you?”

“I…” Theo wants to tell Liam that of course he’s going to make it home, but he can’t get the
words out. He doesn’t want to make false promises, “I’m going to try. They grounded all flights
but Liam I swear, I will drive all the way back to Beacon Hills if I have to.”

“Theo if they grounded all flights they did it for a reason, driving could be dangerous…”

“I don’t care,” Theo says, “I’ll do it if I have to. I won’t miss spending Christmas with you and the
girls.”

“We’re getting there,” Derek says appearing next to him, jaw set firmly. “I’ll get us home by
Christmas.”
“I have a truck you can borrow,” Nate says, “It has 4-wheel drive so you should have no trouble
on the roads.”

“We can’t just take your truck…”

“Nonsense,” Nate says, “it’s my fault you’re out here this close to Christmas. The least I could do
is let you use my truck. We don’t use it much anyway.”

“Hear that Liam?” Theo says, turning his attention back to his husband, “I’m coming home.”

“Theo…”

“I need to get home so we can be us.”

“It’s so far though Theo,” Liam says, his nervousness apparent even through the phone.

“Our love is much stronger than any distance we could know so I'm coming home,” Theo sings
quietly.

He hears Liam laugh wetly, “Are you seriously singing to me right now?”

“Maybe. I know how much you love that song so I was trying to cheer you up. Is it working?”

“I don’t know,” Liam says, “you might need to try more.”

Theo’s aware of Derek and Nate still in the room but he can’t be bothered caring. If Liam wants
him to sing, he’ll sing. He sees Derek hold his hand up and then moves to put his phone on
speaker, “The chorus?” Derek asks. Theo nods, understanding what Derek is doing, putting his
phone on speaker as well as the two sing through the chorus, changing the words a bit to match
them to their partners.

Cause baby it's Christmas

I'm trying so hard just to get to you
And boy I miss you so much
Watching this old clock is what gets me through
Closer to you in the snowflake fall
A couple of girls and their crying call
I need to be home so we can be us

Theo takes the phone off speaker and bring it back to his ear, watching as Derek does the same,
talking quietly to Stiles. Theo’s silent, just listening to Liam’s quiet breathing on the other end of
the line.

“I love you,” Liam says, voice sounding choked up, “be safe okay?”

“I will,” Theo says, not sounding much better, “I love you too and I’ll see you soon.”

Theo closes his eyes when he ends the call, needing a moment to collect himself. He feels a hand
on his shoulder and knows it’s Derek without having to open his eyes.

“Nate says the truck’s gas tank is full so we can leave whenever we need to.”

Theo nods, taking a shaky breath and opening his eyes, “I’ll just grab my bag and coat and we can
go.”

They take turns driving. It’s not an easy trip to start with, even if the 4-wheel drive the truck slips
and slides on the road. The roads are almost empty, everyone else apparently smart enough to stay
off them. That doesn’t stop Theo and Derek, both of them are determined to get home to their
families by Christmas.

Once they start getting further west the snow lets up a bit and it’s easier. There’s still snow but it’s
nowhere near as bad as it was in New York. They can at least see the roads and there’s next to no
ice. The closer they get the easier Theo finds it to breathe. He’s almost home. Almost to Liam.
Almost to his girls. He can see the tension leaving Derek little by little as well.

They’re still on the road on Christmas Eve, still hours away from Beacon Hills. But they’re closer
than before leaving Theo feeling confident they’ll make it home on time. They pass the sign telling
them they’re entering Beacon Hills a little after 11 p.m.

Derek drops Theo off with a tired smile, “Merry Christmas Theo. I appreciate you going with me.
Now go be with your family.”

“Merry Christmas. Tell Stiles and Celine I say hello,” Theo gives him a one armed hug, patting
him on the back before grabbing his bag and getting out of the truck.

Theo watches the truck drive off, and then just stands there a moment staring up at the house. The
lights are off except for the one in the living room. He can hear Liam moving around inside. He all
but runs up to the house, the front door flying open just before he reaches it. Then Liam is there,
throwing his arms around Theo and burying his face in his neck.

“I missed you so much,” Liam says, pulling back to place kisses all over Theo’s face.

Theo laughs, moving a hand to Liam’s neck and pulling him in for a proper kiss. Theo pulls back
with a smile, voice low as he sings

Because I miss you so much

I walk in the door just right on cue
Closer to you in the snowflake fall
A couple of girls and their crying call
I made it home so we can be us
Now baby it's Christmas

Liam grins at him, pulling Theo in for another kiss. “You’re such a sap,” he mumbles against
Theo’s lips.

“Your sap,” Theo says, pulling back and leading Liam into the house, “I can’t believe you came
outside in the snow without shoes.”

“Werewolf,” Liam shrugs.

“It’s still cold,” Theo sighs, pulling Liam to him again so he can tuck his face against Liam’s neck,
letting his scent wash over him, “are the girls asleep?”

“Yeah, but they’re on the couch. They wanted to wait up for you.”

Theo pulls away and walks into the living room, smiling when he sees both Lana and Luna curled
up together asleep on the couch. As if sensing his presence Lana opens her eyes, blinking up at
him.

She grins when she sees him, about to open her mouth but Theo shakes his head, gesturing down
at her still sleeping sister. She nods her head, her voice quiet enough that only Theo and Liam can
hear, “I’m glad you’re home Daddy.”
Theo smiles, pushing her hair back from her face to place a kiss to her forehead, “I told you I
would be.”

“You should get to bed,” Liam says, giving her a stern look. Theo can only imagine the argument
the three had about them trying to stay up, “your actual bed.”

Lana nods, slipping out from under the blanket and off the couch, careful not to wake her sister, “I
just wanted to see Daddy, Papa.”

“I know,” Liam says, running a hand through her hair when she hugs him, “We all did. But he’s
home now so you can go to sleep. We’ll wake you in the morning.”

“Will you tuck me in?”

“You tuck her in,” Theo says, looking over at Lana, “I’ll bring Luna to bed and then come kiss
you goodnight, okay?”

Lana nods, grabbing Liam’s hand and leading him off to her room. Theo watches them go before
turning his attention back to the still sleeping Luna. He bends down and gently picks her up,
carefully carrying her to her room. She wakes when he puts her on the bed, despite his best
efforts.

“Daddy,” she says, rubbing her eyes tiredly, “you’re here.”

“I am,” Theo says, smoothing down her hair, “it’s late though Loon so you should go back to
sleep.”

She looks ready to argue, but relents after she gives a tired yawn, “Okay. Presents in the
morning.”

Theo smiles, “Yes. Presents in the morning. Santa need you to sleep though so he can bring them.
You don’t want him to miss the house because you’re awake.”

Her eyes widen as she pulls her comforter up further, peering up at Theo, “I’m sleeping!
Promise!”

Theo laughs quietly, “Good. I need to say goodnight to your sister. I love you sweetheart.”

“Love you too Daddy.”

Theo kisses her forehead before turning off her light, leaving her door cracked as he goes. He says
goodnight to Lana and then heads out into the living room where Liam is waiting.

“How long do you think it’ll take them to fall asleep?” Liam asks, walking up to Theo and putting
his hands around his neck.

“Hmm well I told Luna if she didn’t sleep Santa might miss the house so it shouldn’t take her
long,” Theo says, moving his hands around Liam’s waist.

Liam laughs, “That’s horrible.”

“It worked,” Theo says, grinning down at his husband. “They should hopefully fall asleep soon so
we can put the presents out. Then I have plans for you.”

“Mmm,” Liam leans in, his lips brushing against Theo’s in a lingering kiss, “what sort of plans?”
 “The bedroom kind.”

“Is that so?” Liam asks, eyes dancing with amusement.

“Oh yeah. They involve you being wrapped around me as we cuddle and then fall asleep.”

Liam laughs, “So romantic.”

“I’m too tired for romance,” Theo says, “I’ll romance you later when I’m more awake. Right now
I just want to fall asleep in your arms.”

“Okay, well that was sort of romantic.”

“It happens. I had to woo you somehow.”

“I’m pretty sure it wasn’t your romantic gestures that made me fall for you,” Liam says.

“Oh really?” Theo asks, “Then what was it? My big heart?”

Liam looks thoughtful for a moment before he grins, “Nah. Your good looks. And that ass.”

Theo shakes his head, laughing quietly, “Even though you’re being mean right now, I really did
miss you.”

“I missed you too.”

“Me or my ass?”

Liam looks like he’s actually considering the question, laughing at Theo’s unimpressed look,
“Both.”

Once the girls are asleep they put all the presents under the tree and fill their stockings. Theo gets
his wish and they fall asleep cuddled together in their big bed. As tired as Theo is he’s still happy
when Lana and Luna come running into their room just as the sun’s coming up, asking if it’s time
to open presents. Sleep can come later. For now, he’s just happy to be hearing the happy laughter
as his daughters open their presents, as he’s curled up on the couch with Liam, the fireplace
crackling quietly in the background.

End Notes

Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments make my day ♥

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