Firebug: Chapter 18 - Others

When Theo opened his eyes, he found himself staring at a speckled white drop-ceiling. The air smelled strange: a mixture of strong chemical cleaners, layered on top of the faint yet distinct odors of blood and human excrement. A soft, incessant beeping to his left broke the shaky hold that sleep still had on him, drawing his attention to the source: a sturdy, chrome pole, with a clear plastic bag of fluid hanging off it. The latter of which was connected to his arm via the thinnest tube.

Now he remembered; he was in hospital. But why? He didn't feel ill, and wasn't experiencing significant pain. A soft groan traveled up his throat as he lifted his tube-filled arm off the bed, allowing him to see the gauze wrapped around his hand. There was another mitt-like bandage on his right, which he discovered a few seconds later. Beneath both, his seared skin still tingled and itched from the flames he'd conjured in them.

That's when it all came flooding back: the Homecoming Dance... the pool...

Roman.

Theo's back sprang up from his thin, spongy bed, far before his body was ready for it. His swimmy head and aching muscles forced him to flop back again immediately, tremors plaguing his body as punishment for moving so recklessly. As he slowly caught his breath, gathering his strength to try again, a shadow suddenly moved in the corner of the room. By the time he looked over at it, there was a person walking up to his bed. The same nurse who'd jabbed him with a needle, knocking him out to begin with.

"You should know better than to move," the older woman grumped, blowing a straggly string of frosted red hair out of her face. "I gave you enough Ketamine to stun a horse. Surprised you needed so much to put you out, considering how much energy you lost."

Theo's head spun like a top on his shoulders, both from the lingering effects of the drug and from the questions swirling through it. "Wh-Why am I still here?! Roman... Wh-Where is Roman?! Is he alright?! I must see him at once!"

The nurse put a finger to her thin, wrinkled lips, her green eyes hard as flint. In the same heartbeat, she pointed to Theo's right, sighing.

"Look all you want. He's not going anywhere, at least not 'til morning. Try to keep it down, though; poor kid needs his rest."

Theo's heart nearly burst through his ribs when he followed the nurse's finger. Until that moment, he wasn't aware there were two beds in the room. Roman slept peacefully upon the second, his face a perfect mask of sweet serenity. Although it took considerable effort, Theo rose from his own bed. In two willowy, stumbling steps, he was perched on Roman's. The moment his gauze-wrapped fingers raked over the sleeping Adonis' dark, mussed locks, Theo felt as if a car had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Thank heavens," he murmured, "I really thought I'd lost him tonight. Will... W-Will he be alright?"

"Don't see why not," the nurse huffed, "He's healthy as an ox. We're just keeping him here for observation because of his concussion. God willing, he'll be heading home sometime tomorrow. You, on the other hand..."

The next thing Theo knew, he was being dragged back to his own bed. Even if he had the energy to fight - which he didn't - he lacked the will. In all his life, he'd never felt so drained. Then again, he'd never been foolish enough to attempt sustaining the hottest flame he could conjure whilst being submerged three meters underwater.

"If it's... m-my hands you're worried about... don't be," he huffed, "I'm... a-a remarkably quick healer."

"Yeah; I know. Most Elementals are."

Theo's head snapped toward the nurse as if propelled by a hydraulic piston. "Most... what?" he stammered, "I... I don't... Wh-What're you on about?!"

The nurse tilted her face toward the ceiling, letting out a deep, long sigh. Instead of answering, she took a seat on the edge of his bed and held out her hand. Then - right before Theo's eyes - a bright yellow fireball swirled to life in the center of her palm.

Theo was so agog, he could hardly string together a coherent sentence. "You... Y-You're Cursed... l-like me?! How?! I-I thought-!"

"...you were the only one? Yeah; I get that," she murmured, watching the flames dance around her curled, liver-spotted fingers absent-mindedly. "Not many of us left; very few are brave or stupid enough to procreate, provided they live long enough to do so. Even less make it to my age."

She made a fist, quashing the flame in a blink, then cradled her hand to her saggy bosom with a quiet hiss. "Us Pyros have it the toughest. You've also got your Geos - they can create earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, and the like. On the other side of the spectrum, Atmos have the ability to control wind currents and weather patterns. I knew one who could make an F5 tornado by the time she was fourteen. Last, but not least, are the Hydros, who... well, you can guess."

"Stop," Theo begged, cradling his aching head in his hands, "J-Just stop! Th-This... This is all too much!!"

"Breathe, Kid," the nurse was on her feet in an instant, massaging Theo's quaking shoulder with her good hand, "I get that it's a lot to take in. I'm surprised your parents didn't explain all this to you. If you're an Elemental, then at least one of them has to be, too."

"M-My father," Theo murmured, nodding, "...but he never-... W-We always assumed it was us. That something... w-went wrong in our genetics, ages ago. The idea that there could be others like him... l-like me... I-I can't even fathom it!"

"Well, don't try to," the nurse said, her tone blunt but kind, "For now, you should focus on rest and healing yourself. The doctors are convinced that you have a very bad infection; given the ludicrous temp you popped earlier, can't say I blame them. I'll do what I can to spring you ASAP. The sooner we can get you out of here, the better for everyone."

Theo nodded his understanding, struggling to keep his eyes open. Although he didn't wish to go back to sleep, his body seemed to be giving him little choice. While he was still in control of his faculties, he reached out and grasped the nurse's wrist, squeezing it to keep her in place a moment longer.

"Thank you," he murmured, "I still have plenty of questions... but it's nice to know I'm not alone. Will you still be here when I wake, Ms.-?"

"Bridget's the name," she grumped, "Friends call me 'Birdie'... but it's 'Nurse Flanagan' to you, Kiddo. And don't worry; I'll be around."

She shook his grip off with almost no effort, breezing out of the room in the same breath. With a weary groan, Theo rolled over to face Roman, being careful not to tug on his IV in the process. He fought the urge to sleep tooth and claw, determined to keep a watchful eye on his beloved for as long as possible. When he could resist no longer, he shut his eyes for just a moment to rest them. By the time he opened them again, the room was filled with sunlight... and there was a person sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Morning, Gorgeous," Roman's sleepy smile carried more warmth than the sun framing his mussed, dark locks from behind. "Sorry if I woke you. I didn't mean to."

Theo wasn't sure what he meant, until he noticed the star quarterback's hand resting on the pillow by his cheek. With a quiet, relieved sigh, he shook his head, nuzzling that delightfully cool, strong hand as he did so.

"Hardly," he murmured, pressing a kiss in the center of Roman's palm, "Is it really morning? Forgive me, My Love; I tried to stay awake for you. Are you feeling any better?"

"Lots," Roman grinned, "thanks to you. I heard you saved my life."

"Heard?" Theo pushed himself off his pillows, wincing at the jolt of pain that shot through his hands afterward, "Ah...! Y-You mean you don't remember? One would think scarcely avoiding a watery death is not so easily forgotten."

Roman's eyes dropped to the blankets covering Theo's knees, his hand moving automatically to the nape of his neck. "I've got a few scattered pieces here and there," he admitted, "The doctors say that I was in pretty bad shock when they brought me in. Between that and my concussion... last night is pretty much a wash. Pun not intended. The last thing I really remember is Luna yelling at me, and... th-the water..."

He tried to hide it, but Theo saw the shiver run through Roman as easily as the fluids through his IV. With a swell of pity rising behind his sternum, Theo brushed the hair over Roman's ear with his clumsy, bandaged fingers.

"The details are unimportant," he said, "all that matters is you're here, and you're alright. Honestly, there are a few moments from last night that are a bit spotty for me, too. Perhaps... some things are better left forgotten."

Roman's smile returned, just long enough to send a little shiver through Theo. It disappeared again, unfortunately, when the door to the room suddenly swung open. The moment Theo saw who opened it, his hand recoiled from Roman's cheek as if he'd been burned.

A grim, very exhausted-looking Thaddeus stood in the doorway, clutching a paper coffee cup. When his eyes met Theo's, life surged through them again in an instant. Before Theo took his next breath, the coffee cup was on the floor and Thaddeus had the younger Quill's face in his leather-clad palms.

"Thank the stars, you're awake," he rumbled, stroking Theo's cheek and hair worriedly. "I knew it was a mistake to let you go to that bloody dance! Tell me, are you alright? Are you in any pain?"

"Dad, geroff," Theo groaned, brushing his father's fretting hands off, "You're embarrassing me. I feel fine. Just want to go home."

Without warning, Thaddeus grabbed Theo's right wrist. Theo hardly had time to register it before a fresh, white-hot pain flared through his hand. When the stars stopped dancing before his eyes, he realized the layers of gauze around his fingers had been peeled back. The air stung his exposed flesh as if his hand had been plunged in a vat of acid, forcing Theo to bite back a pained growl.

"This is not fine," Thaddeus snarled, "You had another Flare Up, didn't you?! I want the truth, Theodore, and I want it now!"

"Hey, get off him!" Roman snapped, shoving Thaddeus back, "If you wanna be mad at somebody, I'm your guy!"

Thaddeus was clearly caught off guard by the shove, but he regained his composure with shocking speed. "You again," he harrumphed, "I should've guessed you had something to do with this! Were I a lesser man, I'd give you a right thrashing on the spot!!"

Roman squared his shoulders defiantly, creating a living wall of stone between Thaddeus and Theo. The heroic gesture made Theo's heart sing, albeit two factors tarnished the majesty of the moment. First, the unobstructed view Theo had of Roman's backside, of which his hospital gown left nothing to the imagination; second, the palpable waves of heat flooding the room, rippling wantonly off Thaddeus' rage-filled frame.

"A better man would trust his son to make his own decisions," Roman shot back, "...not bully him into submission day and night. Theo risked his life to save mine. Sorry if I'm out of line here, sir, but that seems like an act worthy of praise, not a crime that deserves punishment!"

"Foolish boy," Thaddeus grumbled, "When are you going to learn not to meddle in matters that do not concern you?!"

His cold grey eyes fixed on Theo again, softening a touch, as he huffed out a sigh through his nose. Clearly he was too tired - or perhaps too proud - to make a scene. That didn't dampen his fiery temper much at all, though.

"Get dressed, Theodore; I'm taking you home this minute... and you are never to speak to Roman Durant ever again! Do you hear me?!"