Butting Heads

"Leave him alone, Cormack! He hasn't done anything to you!"

"Theo, no... *cough* I-It's alright..."

"Listen to your wee girlfriend, Tinkerbelle! Unless ye want to be next?!"

Scorching heat... tears... the blood... the rage... that hideous laughter... Then, a single spark, snapping to life... and pure terror.

"Theo, no!!"

Theo jolted awake with a gasp, sitting bolt upright in bed. Sweat clung to his trembling frame in large beads, conjured by fear and the horrible flames he'd dreamed of. He thought he'd left them in his dreams until the odor of burnt linen tickled his nose, drawing his attention downward. The sheets clenched in his fists were blackened around his pale, freckly fingers, very nearly reduced to ash. With a frantic swear, he smothered the glowing embers upon them as quickly as he could before his entire bed could become a bonfire. As soon as he was sure the smoldering bits of fabric had all been quenched, he drew his knees to his chest with a quiet sniffle.

That was the first time he'd dreamed of Jason in months. When he closed his eyes, Theo could still see his handsome, deeply tanned face; his eyes, glimmering gold-brown like warm treacle; those soft, auburn waves that Theo could never resist running his hands through.

His damned, accursed hands.

Theo's bedroom light snapped on automatically, forcing him to raise his head with a start. Thaddeus stood in the open doorway, his thinning blond curls stuck up at odd angles and his grey eyes wide with worry. The moment they settled on the charred sheets, the elder Quill's expression softened with understanding.

"Thought I smelled smoke," he muttered, tying his short robe tight around his wiry frame. "Are you hurt, Son?"

Theo knew he wasn't, but he hesitated before answering. Mostly, he was too ashamed to utter a sound. Thaddeus never liked to see him cry, after all. Theo was much too old for such nonsense.

"Theodore," Thaddeus moved into the room, an edge of worry creeping into his stern voice, "I asked you a question, and I expect an answer!"

"No," Theo muttered through clenched teeth, "I... I-I'm alright, Dad. Just... a-a nightmare. Go back to bed. I'll be... f-fine."

To his surprise, Thaddeus sat down on the edge of the bed. His gloved fingers picked at the burn marks on his son's sheets, deflating a bit with a heavy sigh through his nose.

"You weren't sleeping with your gloves on. I warned you about that."

"Dad-"

"I'm serious, Theodore," his grey eyes cut sharply to Theo's, making the teen flinch. "What if you hadn't awakened in time to stop yourself? The entire building might've gone up in a blink!" After a short yet intense pause, Thaddeus' hand slid across the mattress to Theo's knee.

"Do you wish to talk about it?"

Theo's body wrapped itself in an even tighter knot, his fingernails digging into his arms until he nearly bled. His stomach ached from guilt and self-hatred so terribly, he feared the bottom would tear right out of it. Knowing his father was still waiting on an answer, Theo just shook his head.

"Are you sure, Lad?"

Theo's head wobbled up and down in a silent nod. For a few minutes, father and son sat in fragile silence. Theo unable to speak, and Thaddeus unwilling to. Then, without warning, Thaddeus ruffled his son's curls; the most affection Theo had gotten out of him in months.

"Right, then: back to sleep with you," Thaddeus got off the bed with a grunt, tugging the nonexistent wrinkles out of his robe. "You've got school in the morning. Pleasant dreams, Theodore... and this time, don't forget your gloves. Please."

Theo nodded again, opening his bedside table drawer as his father walked out. In the bottom were the gloves his father had given him for his sixteenth birthday, still gleaming white and new as they day he'd received them. As soon as his bedroom door was shut, however, Theo closed the drawer again with a quiet snarl.

He hated those damned gloves almost as much as the Curse itself. They were custom made with a special lead lining, which made them heavy and frightfully uncomfortable to wear. He wouldn't even dare put them on in the summer; he might as well be wearing a pair of portable saunas on his palms. In his heart, Theo knew the gloves were more than just a precaution, however. They were an inevitability. His fate... just like his father, and his grandfather and so on.

With heavy resignation, Theo opened the drawer again reluctantly. As he reached for those awful gloves, however, his mobile suddenly buzzed on the tabletop above it. It was abysmally late, so Theo was understandably startled by the sound. Trusting his instincts, he picked up his mobile instead. To his surprise, he had a text message... from Roman.

hey.😎 U awake?

Theo smiled at the message, hurriedly typing out a reply.

Sort of. Been an interesting night over here. Is everything alright?

Aces, haha. Sorry if I woke you up. I just wanted to say 'good morning'. 😄🌞

Theo read the message a few times over, then glanced at the numbers glowing on his alarm clock. He would hardly call a time like this "morning". To Theo, it was still very much the middle of the bloody night.

Morning? It's a quarter to four. What are you doing up so ruddy early? I thought only senior citizens and psychopaths woke up this far before dawn.

Roman took a while to answer, which worried Theo for a moment. He was afraid that the humorous nature of his message hadn't come across as intended, forcing him to drum his fingers nervously on the mattress. Those three little dots danced for Theo for what seemed an eternity before Roman's reply finally came through. And when he read it, the tension lifted off Theo like a crisp morning breeze in spring.

Haha, no.😂 I have to get up this early, Dorkface. Otherwise I won't have time to go to the gym before school. Plus, I've got a Stu. Co. meeting this morning which is💩, and a few more columns to review for the paper bc publication day is 2morrow.

Crikey.😵‍💫 How do you manage all that in one day? I think my head would explode if I tried to juggle so many things at once.

Nah, its kewl. I liek 2 keep busy. Bettr than being bordd, rite? 🙃

Roman's answer confused Theo a bit. He answered lightning quick, almost as if it had been rehearsed. Roman's usually impeccable spelling was utterly attrocious as well, like he didn't even bother to proofread it beforehand. Theo dismissed the notion almost as soon as he had it, deciding he was overthinking it all. Typos and bad spelling weren't uncommon in text messages, especially when one was half asleep whilst sending them. Before Theo had the chance to reply, another message from Roman popped up on his screen.

Hey, since ur awake, why don't u work out with me? I could really use the company, and it's a lot more fun lifting🏋️‍♂️ w/a buddy. Meet u @ the school gym in 15?

Theo chewed his thumb for a moment, considering the offer heavily. It was mad; unthinkable even. If his father caught him sneaking out of the flat in the dead of night, Hell itself would feel like a holiday in comparison. His eye traveled automatically to the open bedside table drawer, where his gloves still lay untouched. Whether he wore those hideous things or not, Going back to sleep at this point was not an option. Before he could regret his decision, Theo texted back a hasty, "yes".

Twenty minutes later, he was jogging into the Academy's gymnasium. He would've been there much sooner, had he not been so terrified of waking his father again. It didn't take long at all to find Roman in the weight room at the rear of the building; all he had to do was follow the grunts, and the soft clank of weights being lifted.

"There he is," Roman grinned, setting his barbells back on the rack as Theo approached, "glad you could make it. Sorry again for getting you out of bed so damn early."

"Don't mention it," Theo said, cordially accepting the hand that was offered to him, "I wasn't sleeping anyway. Frankly, I... don't sleep very much at all these days."

Roman pulled Theo into a brief hug - something Theo had gotten quite used to in recent weeks - slapping him on the back before letting go. Theo wished Roman had held him a little longer actually, not realizing how desperately he needed that hug. He tried to hide it, afraid Roman would get the wrong idea. As usual, however, Roman saw right through Theo as clear as glass.

"You okay, Theo?" he asked, "I don't mean to push. You just look a little... shaken up."

Theo dropped his coat and rucksack, plunking down onto the nearest weightlifting bench. Allowing his guard to drop for a moment. "Truthfully? I'm not," he admitted, "I have... n-nightmares. Dreadful, horrifying things... and, not long before you messaged tonight, I... had one."

"Man; that's rough," Roman shook his head, dropping onto the bench beside Theo, "I'm so sorry to hear that. Do you... y'know... wanna talk about it? Might help you process it. That's what my therapist used to say, anyway. Dunno if it's really true."

Theo blinked up at Roman, not sure he heard the taller teen correctly. "Therapist?" he parroted. "You?"

"Don't poke fun," Roman scoffed, elbowing Theo playfully, "It was a long time ago now."

"I-I didn't mean to sound judgmental," Theo insisted, "I just never pictured someone like you requiring psychoanalysis."

Roman's lip quirked in a small, lopsided grin. "I'll take that as a compliment," he said. A moment later, his smile softened a little, turning almost sad. "My parents made me see a shrink when I was a kid, just for a year or so. Honestly, I think it did me a lot of good."

"Oh," Theo nodded, "that does explain a lot. May I ask why?"

Roman took a deep breath, holding it for a five count before exhaling. "There was... an accident," he said, his tone quiet and reserved. Almost detached, "When I was five, I almost drowned. If not for my Nonna, I wouldn't even be sitting here today. From that day on, I've had a crippling fear of water. It was so bad, I wouldn't even get in the bathtub." Roman laughed at the silly notion, shaking his head. "I'm still terrified, actually... but my therapist helped me get over the worst of it."

With another small, nervous laugh, Roman settled back on the bench until his shoulders were resting on the wall. "I'm sorry; I totally derailed the conversation," he said, "we were talking about you. About your nightmares... that is, if you still wanted to."

Theo wasn't sure what made him do it. Perhaps he'd just grown so comfortable around Roman that he wasn't afraid anymore. With a quiet sigh, he let his head drop onto Roman's shoulder. Savoring the warmth of it under his cheek.

"It was about my old boyfriend... Jason. He died."