Firebug: Chapter 9 - Thaddeus

Theo claimed he was okay, but he was still shaking like a newborn pup in Roman's passenger seat. He hadn't said much of anything since learning what Chris had almost done to him. Understandable, to say the least. Roman wasn't in much of a talkative mood himself. Not after Theo told him about the Quill Family Curse.

Honestly, it was... a lot. Roman knew Theo was a strange guy from the moment they met; always looking over his shoulder and jumping at shadows, apologizing for anything and everything constantly. He couldn't get the words Theo told him on the day they met out of his head either, finally understanding them in painful clarity:

"I'm the problem... and you ruddy well know why."

Something never sat right with Roman about that exchange from the get go. Now that he knew about the Curse, he couldn't help wondering why Theo had come to Hill Academy. Why he'd suddenly decided to not only change schools but move to a different country so close to getting his high school diploma. Roman didn't want to pry, but he couldn't help feeling that the Curse had something to do with it.

What the hell really happened back in England?

"This is me," Theo murmured, breaking his hour-long silence with a nod.

Roman followed his gaze to a modest-looking apartment complex at the end of the block, nodding his understanding. He smoothly steered his Jeep into a parking spot in front of it, one eye on Theo the whole time. It might've been his imagination, but Theo's tremors appeared to be getting worse. Roman tried to find the right words to put his friend at ease as he cut the engine. In the end, he realized there was probably nothing he could say. Everything that came to mind sounded stupid in his head, or would probably just wind up making everything worse.

"Would you... l-like to come up?" Theo suddenly asked, startling Roman out of his thoughts.

"Oh, uh... sure. I mean, if you want me to."

Theo stared at the building looming over their heads, reverting back to silence. Sitting in the shadow of it, Roman couldn't help but feel absolutely small. Like at any second, it might fall over and squash them both like bugs. After a few more moments of silence, Theo nodded.

The walk up to the Quills' apartment was long and painfully tense. They lived at the very top, seven floors up from street level. It made sense; heat rises, and a potential fire on the top floor was easier to contain, putting the neighbors below at less risk. The apartment the Quills occupied was older, and towards the rear of the building as well: fewer windows; surrounded by outdated asbestos tiles; easy access to the back stairs, which led right to the alley behind the complex. Thaddeus Quill clearly thought of everything when picking this place.

When Theo put his key in the lock, the apartment door suddenly swung open. A hand clad in a black leather glove shot out of the darkness beyond it, grabbing Theo's collar like a striking rattlesnake. Roman barely had time to register it before Theo was abruptly dragged into the apartment.

"Theodore Martin Quill, where the devil have you been?!" a deep, harsh voice snarled, "I've been worried half to death!!"

Roman's entire body tensed with a cringe. The full name, right off the cuff. That wasn't a good sign. As quickly as he could, Roman pushed his way into the apartment, closing the door behind him.

"It's all my fault, sir," he said, "Theo was, uh... spending the night at my place. I'm sorry we worried you."

The thin, gaunt older man stared daggers at Roman, rendered utterly silent by Roman's intrusion. There was no doubt who he was: Thaddeus Quill, Theo's dad. Theo was the spitting image of him, apart from the eyes. Where Theo's were a warm, friendly blue-green, Thaddeus' were frigid, steely grey. They were so piercing, Roman's blood ran cold just looking into them. The chill they gave Roman was only matched by the stifling air inside the apartment. Frankly, it was roasting in there.

"And who, pray tell, are you?" he growled.

Roman wet his lips, offering his hand politely, "Oh, um... I-I'm Roman; Theo and I are friends. It's a pleasure to-"

"Theodore has no need for friends," Thaddeus spat, "furthermore, this conversation does not concern you! Leave us... now!"

"Dad, he knows," Theo murmured, eyes downcast and fingernails digging into his arms. Roman could've sworn the apartment got a few degrees hotter as Thaddeus' harsh gaze suddenly cut to his son.

"What do you mean, 'he knows'?!" the older Quill snapped, his piercing eyes filled with sudden panic, "Theodore, explain yourself!"

"It's true, sir," Roman said, moving between father and son suddenly. "Theo told me about your family's affliction. I know everything."

He tried to ignore the fingers gripping the back of his jacket, but it wasn't easy. The heat they radiated was almost as searingly hot as the air around him. It didn't bother him before; if anything, he was glad to offer Theo some comfort by acting as a human buffer whenever Theo was noticeably upset. After learning what Theo could do, though, the heat on his back was unsettling at the least. That didn't hold a candle, though, to the ripples of heat coming off his dad.

"Foolish boy," Thaddeus growled, smoke curling off his gloved fists, "you know absolutely nothing! You have no bloody idea what he's capable of! What I am capable of! It's not an 'affliction'... it's a living, sodding Hell!" The smoke suddenly wafted higher around Thaddeus, swirling up both his arms to his shoulders. "Perhaps I should show you... Then you would truly understand!"

"Dad, no!" Theo shouted. Before Roman could even blink, Theo was suddenly in front of him, shielding him from Thaddeus' wrath. "Please, don't! H-He's my only mate!"

"Stand aside, Theodore," Thaddeus warned, "we will finish our discussion later, once this interloper is properly dealt with!"

"No! I-I won't let you! If you want to hurt him, then... th-then you'll have to go through me first!"

He was quaking like a leaf in a hurricane, but Theo didn't back down. Sparks crackled around his trembling fingertips, arcing all around his hands like a live wire in a puddle. Roman knew from Theo's shallow, ragged breaths that he was rapidly losing control. Before things got any worse, Roman instinctually leaned forward, hugging Theo from behind. One of his hands landed on the Brit's chest, letting him feel just how much the shorter teen's heart was racing.

"It's okay," Roman murmured in his ear, "We don't have to stay here. We can go. Do you want to go?"

Theo's tremors worsened, but his heartrate seemed to be slowing a little. His heart still fluttered erratically under Roman's palm, which concerned him deeply. It was only a few moments later that Theo's quiet sniffles reached his ears. Theo spun around in his arms without warning then, burying his face in Roman's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "Y-You should leave. I'll be alright... just go. Please, Roman."

In a blink, the smoke whirling around Thaddeus disappeared. His demeanor softened remarkably, as if he finally realized he was upsetting his son. Despite the remorse in his eyes, Roman saw something else buried behind those cold, grey irises: thinly veiled contempt.

"I understand now," the older man muttered, "Did you really think you could fool me, Theodore? 'Just mates' indeed."

Roman had no idea what Thaddeus was talking about. Before he could ask the elder Quill to clarify his comment, Theo pushed him out the door.

"N-Never mind him," Theo insisted, "Thank you for everything, Roman, from the bottom of my heart. I'll call you later. D-Drive safely."

Roman was behind the wheel of his Jeep before he even knew it. The worn leather groaned under his palms, as he was using every ounce of restraint not to rip it off the steering column. He'd heard how strict Thaddeus was, and could tell how deeply Theo feared him. Roman never imagined just how much of a paranoid, critical, soul-sucking tyrant Theo's dad could be, however. It took him a long time to calm down after leaving the Quills' apartment, soothed by the distant thunder rolling overhead. By the time he was coolheaded enough to start driving again, Roman's phone suddenly rang in the cupholder beside him. He answered it without even checking the caller ID, sure that it was Theo calling to apologize unnecessarily again.

"Hey, Man," he said, trying to sound calm and upbeat, "are you okay? I'm sorry; I had no idea your old man was-"

"Baa-abe," a groggy, female voice mumbled through the speaker, "what're you talking about? Never mind, I don't care. Where are you?"

Roman hesitated sharply, startled and a little embarrassed, "L-Lu?" he stammered, "Sorry, I thought-... y'know, don't worry about it. It's not important. How are you feeling today?"

"Lousy," Luna grumbled, sighing heavily into the phone. "Look, could you, like, bring me a latte? And some Aspirin?"

Roman paused, glancing up at the building whose shadow he was still parked in. He really didn't want to leave, only able to imagine the reaming Theo was getting from his old man. Luna needed him, too, though, and as his girlfriend she took priority. That fact didn't make him feel less like a jerk as he turned his engine over.

"Sure," he sighed, "Half-caff with four pumps of caramel, right?"

"Make it full caff. Oh, and don't forget to ask for non-fat milk. I've got a homecoming dress to fit into."

"You got it," Roman eased away from the curb, "See you in a few, Babe. I love you."

"Don't I know it?" Luna giggled tiredly, "Thanks, Babe; you're amazing."

After he ended the call, Roman kept the phone in his hand for a few more blocks. When he stopped at a red light, he studied Luna's smiling face on his lock screen pensively. He and Luna had been an item since the eighth grade, but he couldn't think of a single time she'd said "I love you". Not in a serious way, anyway.

Not the way Theo had said it.

Realization hit Roman then like a lightning bolt to the cerebellum. That moment in his dorm room replayed itself in slow motion in his head, allowing him to process it in full for the first time. He remembered how embarrassed Theo looked right after it happened... and the way Theo's heart was fluttering when Roman tried to deescalate things with Thaddeus. What had Thaddeus said again?

"Did you really think you could fool me...? Just 'mates' indeed."

A horn honking behind Roman jarred him out of his thoughts, letting him know that the light had turned green. As he stepped on the gas, every interaction he'd ever had with Theo floated through his head. And the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

Theo had feelings for him. That much was clear. After a few more blocks, Roman was questioning everything he thought he knew about himself.

...Because those feelings were mutual.