Firebug: Chapter 8 - Ripples

Rain, gentle and soothing, pitter-pattered on the window beside Theo. The steady percussion roused him from slumber slowly, teasing him awake like an oyster being pried out of its shell. It was only then he realized that his bedroom didn't have a window before. And that the door was on the wrong side of the room. The bed itself was all wrong, too, made up in soft, dark blue sheets that certainly weren't his.

Wherever Theo was, it wasn't his bedroom at all.

He sat up with a sleepy start, blinking at the bedding and himself puzzledly. The clothes he had on weren't his either. They hung off his short, scrawny frame like burlap sacks on a scarecrow, easily two sizes too large. It was difficult to read the printing on his light grey sweatshirt upside-down, but he eventually made out the words, "Property of Hill Academy Athletics Dept., XXL". He had no memory of putting those clothes on, which unsettled him even more than waking up in a strange bed. A bed he also had no memory of falling asleep in. The last twelve hours of his life, in fact, had been totally erased from his memory banks.

Panic flared hot in his breast, forcing a surge of heat into his fingertips. Theo kicked off the blankets as fast as he could, scanning the small room for anything he could use to cool his burning hands before they ignited. Eventually, his eye fell on the window again. It was risky to be sure, but any port in a storm was welcome. The moment he hopped out of the bed, his foot struck something large and solid on the floor. Before he even realized what happened, Theo was sprawled across it.

A sleeping bag? This morning was growing odder by the moment. Not only that, but there was a person inside it. And they didn't appear to be too happy by Theo's toes slamming into their ribs.

"Ow," a deep, familiar voice grumbled. The sleeping bag's occupant rolled over suddenly, bringing a handsome olive face into view. The moment those soft, dark eyes blinked groggily at him, Theo nearly burst into tears from relief.

"R-Roman?" he stammered, sitting up right away and backpedaling to a safe distance. "Wh-Where am I?! I-I can't...! Wh-What's going on?!"

The taller boy was wide awake within seconds, unzipping his sleeping bag so that he could sit up properly. "Whoa, Theo, chill," he insisted, "It's okay. You're safe. Just calm down, alright?"

Theo nodded, taking a deep, shaky breath. Yes; calming down sounded like an excellent idea. The questions buzzing about his head made doing so impossible, though. As did the ever-building wave of heat pulsing through his hands.

"What happened?" Theo wheezed, "L-Last night... I-I can't remember anything after we got to the party!"

Roman leaned back on his heels, suddenly growing very quiet. His expression was difficult to read: tense; nervous; almost... angry.

"Yeah," he murmured, "I figured you wouldn't. Last night was... kinda intense. Scary intense, actually. I'm just glad you're okay."

Roman's explanation - or lack thereof - only served to frighten and confuse Theo further. He looked down at his hands again, which were all but glowing with intense heat. In his mind, there could only be one reason for Roman's cageyness and reluctance to speak more about the party.

"D-Did I hurt anyone?!"

"Wha...? No," Roman shook his head, obviously confused and deeply worried. He scooted closer without warning, reaching for Theo's hands automatically, "Theo, why would you even think - Yeowch!!"

Roman let go of Theo's hands the same second he touched them, eyes wide with alarm. For a moment or two he just sat there, looking from his own hands to Theo in complete shock and bewilderment.

"You... burned me," he said, his eyes narrowing in confusion, "How the hell did you-?"

"I-I'm so sorry," Theo panted, scrambling away again, "I can't... c-control it! Y-You need to run! G-Get away from me, while you still can!"

"Hell no!" Roman snapped. "I'm not leaving you, Theo; not like this!"

Before Theo could insist he leave again, Roman was on his feet. Thinking quickly, the Student Body President peeled off his t-shirt and threw open the window, soaking the sturdy cotton in rain water. Not a moment later, he knelt down in front of Theo, wrapping the terrified teen's hands in the wet fabric. It sizzled and steamed immediately when it came in contact with Theo's skin, but the worst of the burning was successfully quenched. The little that lingered ebbed away on its own, chased off by the strong hands gently massaging Theo's through the cool, damp cloth.

"I understand why you don't like to be touched now," Roman said, smiling a little despite nearly being burnt alive. "Does this happen a lot?"

Theo swallowed dryly, nodding. "Since the day I turned sixteen," he said, punctuating his sentence with a sniff. "One person in every generation of my family carries the same... affliction; usually the firstborn male child. No one knows when it started, or why. It just does."

"Damn," Roman shook his head, "No wonder you're always so jumpy. If I was in your shoes, I... well, I wouldn't know what to do. I'm so sorry, Theo. I wish there was something I could do to help."

"Believe it or not, you already are," Theo admitted, managing a small, appreciative grin.

The words came pouring out of him on their own, and they showed no immediate signs of stopping. He told Roman everything... well, almost everything. He still couldn't bring himself to recount the horrid details of Jason's death, as it was much too painful for him. Barring that - and any mention of the butterflies that danced in Theo's stomach every time he was around the Student Body President - Roman heard it all. Every sordid secret; every close call since Theo had walked the halls of Hill Academy; the extent of Thaddeus' paranoia and Theo's strained relationship with him. All of it was now laid bare... and Roman was clearly overwhelmed.

"Oh... wow..." Roman muttered, settling back on his rear, "Just... wow. And here I thought I had problems..."

Theo tugged up the sweatshirt's collar, as it kept sliding off his pale, freckled shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said, "It wasn't fair to unload everything at your feet like that. This is the first time I've been able to speak so freely about it since..."

"Jason," Roman nodded, "Yeah; I figured."

For a long handful of minutes, Roman and Theo just sat in silence on the floor. Roman seemed unable to even look at Theo, his chin resting pensively on his knee as he absent-mindedly picked lint out of the carpet. Theo had the opposite problem. He tried desperately not to, but every few seconds he stole a glance at Roman instinctively. The silence was torture for Theo; he had to know what Roman was thinking. If he still had a friend after unleashing the whole, ugly truth. Just when he feared he couldn't bear another second of Roman's silence, Roman leaned forward without warning. The next thing Theo knew, his best mate's arms were around him.

"Thank you," Roman murmured, his deep, Cello voice vibrating through his chest into Theo's. "I'm glad you told me about this. It's... a lot to process for sure, but I'm honored that you trust me with such a big, important part of your life. No matter what happens, Theo, I'm in your corner... and I promise that I'll do everything I can to help you moving forward."

Theo was absolutely speechless. He quivered in Roman's arms like a frightened child, using all his willpower not to break down on the spot. Without fully being aware of what he was doing, he nuzzled the taller bloke's bare chest with a sniffle.

"I love you."

Roman's chest jiggled with a soft laugh under Theo's cheek. "I love you, too, Man," he said, "...and I always will. That's what friends are for."

Highly embarrassed, Theo pulled out of Roman's embrace. "F-Friends; yes," he murmured, "Of course. I'm very lucky to have a friend like you."

His collar tried to slip down again, requiring him to adjust it once more. When he did, Theo caught a glimpse of something on his shoulder tip that definitely wasn't there yesterday: a dark, ovular bruise. When he pulled down his collar to get a better look at it, Theo was shocked to find quite a few more bruises just like it all down his chest.

"Wh-What on earth?!" he muttered, pulling up his borrowed sweatshirt to examine them thoroughly. Doing so revealed even more marks trailing down his stomach. "Where did those come from?!"

Roman's jaw clicked he was clenching it so tight. "I'm guessing from Chris," he growled, "They must've come up to the surface overnight. Sorry, Theo; I swear I didn't see them before."

"Before?" Theo parroted, his confusion quickly giving way to fear. "Roman... what happened to me?! Please... I need to know!"

Roman seemed very reluctant to speak. Theo had never seen him so angry, which frightened him even more. Then, with a heavy sigh, Roman hung his head.

"It's all my fault," he said quietly, "I never should've left you alone with him. He must've spiked your drink when I wasn't looking. When I saw you again, he... he was taking you upstairs."

Theo lifted his borrowed sweatshirt pensively, studying the bruises on his chest again. He didn't want to admit it before, but there was no doubt what they were: love bites. When the pieces started falling into place, Theo drew his knees to his chest. Suddenly and painfully aware of every inch of his body.

"Did..." Theo's voice cracked badly, requiring him to clear his throat harshly and start again, "D-Did he...?"

"No!" Roman snapped, gripping Theo's knee firmly, "Hell no! The minute I realized what was going on, I-..." he trailed off suddenly, sighing again, and let his hand slide off Theo's knee onto the floor. "Do you wanna get checked out?" he asked softly, "I mean, I'm pretty sure nothing happened, but-"

"I-I think I just want to go home," Theo said, getting to his feet hurriedly. Perhaps a little too hurriedly, as his head was spinning like a top upon his shoulders. Only after he was halfway to the door did he look down at the oversized sweatsuit he had on. "M-My clothes," he realized, "Where are they? I... I need my..."

"Theo, breathe," Roman insisted, getting to his feet as well. His arms were around Theo again in a heartbeat, drawing the shaking Brit to his chest. "It's okay; I've got you. I got you. You're safe now."

Roman repeated the phrase several times over, but Theo believed it in an instant. Here, in Roman's arms, nothing could harm him: not Chris... not Jason's ghost... not even the Curse. Theo kept his silence, allowing Roman to hold him. Wishing he could be held for eternity.