Firebug: Ch. 24 - Reeling

By nothing short of pure, dumb luck, Theo made it to the apartment unscathed. He'd had a few near misses, one of which involved an elderly lady driving a Buick older than Thaddeus. It was surreal, getting honked at by her before she eventually swerved around him, mostly because of the obscene gestures she flung at him. Even so, Theo never exceeded a snail's pace the entire way.

He was still shaking as he entered the flat, both from the lingering effects of secondhand road rage and from the upset he'd had at school. Once the door was locked, Theo dared to peel up his shirt at last. A low, pained hiss slipped through his teeth despite his efforts to hold it in, followed by a groan when he saw the fruits of Jasper's efforts. The large, purplish-red bruises all over his torso were gruesome to behold, immediately making his head swim and his stomach churn. At least they only felt twice as bad as they looked.

With another hoarse groan and some carefully planned-out maneuvers, he removed his shirt entirely and limped into the bathroom. Although cramped, the icy shower he took was just the ticket. All his aches and pains were soothed in no time flat, making things much more bearable. It also chased away the lingering dregs of his Flare-Up, which was a pleasant bonus. When he finally emerged from that delightfully chilly man-made waterfall, Theo was completely relaxed. Knackered, and still trembling, but relaxed nonetheless.

He dressed himself in the first set of clothes he'd lain his hand on: a pair of sweatpants and a long-sleeved tee, both belonging to his boyfriend. As he pulled the latter over his head, he couldn't help giving it a deep sniff, savoring the scent embedded in the fabric. The smell of musk. Of comfort.

Of Roman.

After that, Theo just curled up on the futon. Too sore to function any further. Too exhausted to try. Sleep took him before he was even aware of it. But it didn't keep hold of him for long.

Gentle fingers combing through his curls coaxed him back to the waking world with ease. Even with his eyes closed, he recognized Roman's loving touch in a heartbeat. With a heavy, sleepy sigh, he kissed the heel of that wonderful hand as he stirred. In response, he received a quiet, weary chuckle.

"Gosh, you're cute," Roman murmured, his lips brushing Theo's temple as he spoke. "Sorry I woke you. You can go back to sleep if you want."

"Don't apologize," Theo said, stifling a yawn, "I didn't intend to doze off to begin with." He paused to take Roman's hand, nuzzling it affectionately, "...and your company is far more enjoyable when I'm conscious."

He was smiling as he opened his eyes, but his grin faded into a puzzled frown within a minute. Roman was soaked to the bone. The culprit responsible was easy to determine, after a low rumble drew Theo's attention to the windows overlooking the street outside. Although it was a bright, sunny day when he drove home, the sky had turned slate grey. Rain pelted the roof and splattered against the window panes, the wind moaning a mournful song as it beat relentlessly upon the building's brick facade.

Theo had no clue how he'd managed to sleep through such a gale, as he was usually a light sleeper. Apparently he must've been more exhausted than he thought. As an afterthought, he turned Roman's wrist gently to glance at the star quarterback's watch. As dark it was outside, the hour was surely quite late. To his surprise, it was barely half-noon.

"What're you doing home so early?" he mused aloud, "One of us getting in trouble for skipping class is bad enough."

"Chill, Bello," Roman said, bringing Theo's knuckles to his lips with a sigh, "Nobody's getting in trouble. School was let out early. There was... a problem. But nobody was hurt. At least, I don't think so."

Theo sat up right away, not caring that it made his entire torso twinge. "What? Wh-What happened? If they had to close the school, it must've been quite severe!"

Now that Roman's face was closer to his, Theo's attention darted to the taller bloke's jaw like a heat-seeking missile. There was a bruise upon it that wasn't there the last time they'd spoken. Automatically, Theo's fingers moved toward the red, swollen lump. Before he'd had more than a second to touch it, though, Roman pulled back with a quiet hiss. Even if Roman hadn't recoiled, Theo had been the subject of enough pummelings over the years to recognize the remnants of a right cross on sight.

"You were in a fight," he gasped, "Romeo, why-?!"

"It's nothing," Roman insisted, taking Theo's hand and squeezing it tight, "Nothing you need to worry about anyway. I'm okay, Bello. I... I'm okay."

"Clearly, you're not," Theo frowned bluntly, "Otherwise you wouldn't have walked home through such a deluge."

Roman declined to dignify Theo's observation with a response. Obviously, he didn't wish to talk about it, so there was little use prying. With a huff, Theo kissed Roman's bruise tenderly and rose off the futon.

"Come on," he urged quietly, grabbing Roman's elbow, "let's get you out of those wet togs before you catch your death."

Although Roman maintained his stony silence, he allowed Theo to strip off his wet clothes piece by piece. Once Roman was down to his briefs, Theo attempted to lead him to the bathroom. A long, hot shower would do the Student Body President a world of good, and it would give Theo time to fix up a hot meal for them both. As soon as he crossed the bathroom's threshold, however, Roman pulled his hand free of Theo's grip.

"Wh-What're you doing, Bello?"

Theo blinked silently at his boyfriend, too shocked and confused to speak for a moment.

"We need to warm you up. A hot bath is the easiest way, trust me."

"How would you know?" Roman snapped, "You're never cold!"

A strange pain radiated through Theo's chest, worse than the lingering aches he'd had all day. He was too shocked - too hurt - to respond. Thankfully, he didn't have to. While the sting of Roman's words was still red hot, Roman suddenly yanked him into a gentle hug.

"I'm so, so sorry, Bello," Roman insisted, peppering Theo's cheek and neck with kisses. "I don't know why I said that. I just... I..."

Roman was usually a chatterbox, especially when he was anxious or upset. Now, for the first time, he seemed at a loss for words. And that worried Theo deeply. Following his instincts, Theo led him back to the futon. Roman was still shivering, so he grabbed a blanket to wrap the star quarterback up. The olive-skinned teen took it from him instead and did the deep himself, unfurling it just wide enough to invite Theo in. Of course, Theo accepted without hesitation, hiding a groan as Roman drew him into his lap.

"Something's... happening to me," Roman whispered. "I don't understand it... a-and I might just be crazy, o-or paranoid... but... I'm scared, Theo."

With no prompting at all, he told Theo everything. His speech was slow and halting at first, as if he were trying to choose his words carefully. With every sentence uttered, however, they gradually gathered more speed. Soon, the words poured out of him like a geyser, running together so quickly that Theo could hardly make sense of them. When Theo's head spun from his futile efforts to keep up, he squeezed Roman's hand to silence him momentarily.

"Romeo, please, slow down," he begged, "I understand you're frightened. Take a deep breath, My Love, and back up a bit. When did this all start? I mean, when did you first suspect you were-"

"A freak?" Roman scoffed, his tone only half-joking. "I don't really know."

Theo tensed, but he tried to remain calm, cool, and collected. "I never want to hear that word again," he said sternly, "Do you understand? You are not a monster, Roman Durant. Answer my question honestly now."

Roman took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before letting it all out in a rush.

"Okay, sorry. I'm just... trying not to panic here."

"It's fine," Theo assured him, changing gears smoothly, "You said you fought with Jasper, yes? And you had a... a-a Flare-Up?"

A nervous chuckle burst from Roman's throat as he passed a hand through his damp hair. "Feels a little funny to think of it like that," he admitted, "...but yeah. I mean... I-I think it was me. How else could both pipes explode at once? And I wasn't even wet afterwards. It was just-"

"Barmy," Theo nodded, "Believe me, I understand."

After a bit of thought, he reluctantly crawled out of Roman's lap. Theo's feet automatically carried him to the kitchen, but he wasn't really sure what he was looking for yet. A moment later, he found himself standing over Roman's rucksack in the middle of the floor. With confidence, he nicked the water bottle out of its side pocket and made his way back to Roman.

"There's only one way to be absolutely sure," he said, setting it on the floor by Roman's feet.

Roman just stared at Theo for a long minute as if his head were filled with cabbage. "Bello, I... I'm not sure this is a good idea," he said. "What if I wind up flooding the whole place? There is no way my damage deposit will ever cover-"

"Just try," Theo urged, taking both Roman's hands. "Please. Worst thing that can happen is we both get a bit damp."

Roman's gaze dropped to the bottle, doubt clouding his handsome features. "You didn't see what happened to Jasper."

It appeared that his mind was made up, until he slowly pried his hands free of Theo's grip and slid down onto the floor. His fingers were still trembling a little as he stretched them toward the clear plastic bottle, curling around it without actually touching it.

Theo followed suit, his eyes darting expectantly from the half-full bottle to his boyfriend's face, not sure what he wanted to happen. If Roman was indeed like him, that meant Theo wasn't alone. He'd have a partner who truly understood the struggles he lived with every day. They could learn to control their abilities together, strengthening the already impregnable bond they shared.

Or, conversely, it could drive them apart. Fire and water did not mix, after all. Thaddeus already didn't like Roman to boot. If Roman turned out to be a Hydro on top of it all, the old geezer would probably have a ruddy stroke. Or worse, their differences may end up being irreparable. They may end up resenting each other, or causing one another harm.

Theo didn't want to dwell on that at all... but he had little choice.

After a long, few minutes of nothing, the water within the bottle slowly began to churn. An awed gasp escaped Theo as he witnessed the event, totally mesmerized by the swirling water. Within seconds, a miniature funnel had formed in the bottom of the bottle. Theo leaned closer and stared down through the top, marveling at it, until the thin plastic suddenly bubbled outward. His body realized what was happening long before his brain even fathomed it. Not a second after he fell back onto his rump, the whole bottle burst with a deafening pop. The force of it blew the cap straight off, embedding it in the ceiling like a bullet.

Roman fell back as well, shaking all over and struggling to breathe. The fear in his eyes was the same Theo had seen countless times in the mirror, as familiar as the sudden, intense exhaustion washing over Roman's flawless visage. The only difference was a tiny trickle of blood, leaking from the taller bloke's left nostril.

"A-Are... you okay?" Roman puffed, seemingly oblivious to his own condition.

Theo nodded, rushing to the bathroom as soon as his shock wore off. He came back a second later with a wad of toilet roll, which he pressed carefully under Roman's nose. Roman fell into Theo's arms almost immediately, his cheek finding rest against Theo's stomach. All the excitement had made Theo's plethora of bruises ache badly again, but he dared not lift Roman's head from his person. Roman needed comfort now, more than anything. And Theo needed time to process what he'd just witnessed.

Roman was an Elemental... and that honestly terrified him.