The Mask Slips

All things considered, the lecture Theo received from his father could've been worse. At the very least, it was short and to the point. He didn't even mention the fresh bruise on Theo's nose. If he even bothered to notice it at all, that is. Thaddeus had already left for work when Theo got up the next morning, leaving the seventeen-year-old to fend for himself for breakfast. As usual. Although he headed off to school without so much as a "good morning" note from his father, Thaddeus Quill's words from the night before still rang clearly in Theo's ears.

He had to avoid Roman at all costs.

Unfortunately, that plan was not as easy at it seemed. Theo shared all his classes with Roman, and seemed to bump into him in the corridors at every turn. It was uncanny, and frankly shocking; Hill Academy seemed so enormous before, but suddenly it felt suffocatingly small. And Roman was always so warm; so charming. Always acting as if he cared so deeply.

It was utterly maddening.

Theo kept his distance to the best of his ability for the rest of the week. Every day that passed, however, became more difficult than the last. Pretending not to hear Roman call out to him from across the courtyard or the far side of the cafeteria was more painful than Theo ever anticipated. The more distance he tried to keep from Roman, the more insistent Roman seemed on reaching out to him. And the closer Roman tried to get, the hotter the Curse within Theo burned.

It all came to a head in the middle of Theo's second week at Hill Academy. A freak rainstorm forced Theo and his classmates indoors for Phys. Ed. that afternoon. All outdoor clubs and activities were cancelled as well, meaning the students who would've been at said clubs and/or activities took refuge in the gymnasium. It was all Theo needed: trapped in a room with fifty bored, disgruntled, stir-crazy people. He wasn't sure whose idea it was first, but it wasn't long before the same word was on all their lips.

Dodgeball.

Roman and a tall, red-headed boy - Jasper - volunteered to be team captains. Within five minutes, Theo's classmates were divided evenly between them. To no one's surprise, Roman picked Theo to join his team. Theo was so thrilled not to be picked last, he didn't worry about being on Roman's team for a solid three minutes. The longer he stood by Roman's side, however, the tighter the anxious knot behind his sternum grew.

Theo had never actually played the game before, but he'd seen it many times in film and on television. He hoped that it wasn't as bad as it had been portrayed in media. That it was all drummed up for dramatic effect.

He learned painfully quickly that it was every bit as bad as he'd heard.

Before he even knew it, the game was on. Red rubber balls flew like mortar shells from one side of the gymnasium to the other, pelting the slower and less agile students first. Most of the balls were thrown by Jasper himself, who seemed to relish picking off his weaker classmates with a sadistic sort of glee. Theo swore he saw smoke coming off a few balls they were hurled with such vigor, flinching at every hollow ping as they bounced off his teammates' flesh. A good number of Theo's teammates were struck in the head or groin, which seemed to be targeted on purpose based on Jasper's obnoxious laughter every time a ball hit its mark.

By sheer dumb luck, Theo and Roman were the last ones standing on their team. Jasper's team outnumbered them, but by that point Jasper alone was doing the throwing. The three boys standing behind him just supplied him with ammunition, echoing his laughter brainlessly while their classmates were demolished one by one. When Jasper received a fresh dodgeball, Theo swore there was fire flashing in his green eyes. He knew, because they locked directly onto him like a missile guidance system.

"Hey, Mary Poppins," Jasper grinned, tossing the ball into the air and catching it a few times as if he were testing its heft, "how do they say 'concussion' in England?"

"Go easy on him, Jas," Roman warned, "It's only a game."

"I can take care of myself, Roman, thank you."

Theo's tone must've been a bit sharper than he realized, because Roman looked at him suddenly, a mixture of hurt, confusion, and anger shining in his eyes. Neither of them were aware of how grave a mistake taking their eyes off Jasper was, however, until a dodgeball slammed into Theo's gut with the force of a bullet train. He crumpled to the floor immediately, hugging the ball to his stomach and desperately trying to suck in a breath. He'd been hit so hard, however, that his lungs just stopped working for at least fifteen seconds.

"What the hell, Jasper?!" Roman snapped, dropping to his knees beside Theo instantly, "Theo, are you okay?! Theo!!"

Jasper's cackling echoed across the gymnasium, reveling in Theo's pain enormously. The three boys behind him found it just as amusing, hooting and pushing each other around playfully like a band of punch-drunk gorillas. When Theo found the energy to raise his head again, he saw the tall, muscle-bound redhead reduced to tears by his mirth.

"Aww, what's wrong, Your Majesty?" he giggled, wiping his streaming eyes, "Did that sting a little?! Maybe you should ask your boyfriend for some mouth-to-mouth!"

Theo gripped the dodgeball in his lap so tight, his fingernails very nearly punctured the firm, red rubber. Within seconds, he went from gasping for air to snarling with rage. Those boys... that laughter... it was exactly the same, measure for measure, as it was a year ago. Just before "it" happened. He knew he needed to calm down. It was vital that he calm down.

Unfortunately for Jasper, Theo couldn't.

Within a second, Theo was on his feet again. His arm cocked back on its own, hurling the ball back across the gymnasium like a shot. Jasper hardly had time to register it before the ball bounced off his face. The next thing anyone knew, Jasper was sprawled out like a starfish on the floor, unconscious and missing three teeth.

The merry band of baboons behind him immediately stopped laughing. They all rushed to Jasper's aid, desperately trying to revive him. Meanwhile, the deformed, partially deflated dodgeball that corked him kept rolling wobbly along toward the bleachers. Even from across the room, Theo could see the trails of smoke still curling off it... emanating from the handprints melted deep into the rubber.

No one breathed a word. All eyes were either on Jasper, wondering what on earth had just happened, or fixed on Theo. Even the teachers stared at him in confusion and fear. Whispers buzzed all around the gymnasium, swarming Theo as incessantly as a cloud of black flies. He felt as if he might be sick, or perhaps burst into tears. Feelings that flared twice as hot as his hands when he realized Roman was staring at him as well.

"Theo," he murmured, clearly shocked and abhorred, "what did you do?"

Theo backed away from Roman, his breath catching painfully in his throat. His hands burned dangerously close to the point of ignition, fueled by all the whispers and stares. For the safety of everyone present, Theo raced as fast as he could to the locker room. Without even thinking about it, he skidded to a stop at the first sink he saw, cranking open the cold water tap as far as it would turn. Once the basin was halfway full, Theo plunged his hands into it, wincing at the steam that plumed in his face. No matter how long he held them there under the icy water, however, the burning in his fingertips refused to cease.

"Stop," he begged, tears rolling down his cheeks, "Please... please, please, please just stop... s-stop it!"

Before he knew it, the wall of mirrors in front of him was coated with steam. Because of that, and his feverish attempts to quench the Curse, he didn't hear the footsteps quickly approaching his back. Theo wasn't even aware there was anyone else in the locker room until a hand appeared on his shoulder. The moment he felt it, he whirled around with a frightened bleat, throwing his trembling, sizzling hands up automatically.

"R-Roman?" he stammered, recoiling until his back hit the sink behind him, "No... N-No, you shouldn't be here! L-Leave me alone, please!"

"No," Roman insisted, his tone firm but gentle still, "I'm not leaving until I get some answers. Come on, Theo; I thought we were friends."

"I... I can't," Theo muttered, scrubbing his face in an effort to hide his shameful tears. "Roman, you... y-you don't understand! It's not-!"

"Then help me to," Roman said, moving closer without warning. After a tense moment of silence, he sighed deeply and shook his head. "Guess this is why you've been avoiding me, huh? Should've figured it out sooner. That's on me, though."

Theo quaked like warm jelly as Roman slowly drew nearer, hardly able to breathe. He couldn't escape with his back literally to the wall. Not without touching Roman. Within a minute, the taller teen was towering over him. Theo could hardly think he was so frightened. Roman was so close, Theo could feel the heat radiating off his olive skin. The smell of Roman's sweat filled his nose, carrying deep notes of juniper, worn leather, and musk. It was intoxicating, but not at all in a bad way. Actually, Theo was shocked by how much he enjoyed it. Roman took advantage of that brief moment of calm, taking hold of Theo's hands before Theo could stop him.

"It's okay, Theo," Roman said, his voice sincere and soft as a kitten's fur. "This is who you are; who you were born to be. You don't need to hide, or be afraid to talk about it. Not with me."

Theo stared up at Roman in utter shock. His hands cooled quickly in Roman's grip, soothed by the mere touch of the other boy's skin. Waves of calm washed over Theo so suddenly, he didn't know what to do with himself. No one had ever been able to put him at ease like this before. No one, that is, except Jason.

"You... Y-You mean that?" Theo marveled, "But... I'm a monster... A-A freak of nature... aren't I?"

"Of course not," Roman gave Theo's hands a gentle squeeze, smiling warmly, "I mean, there are lots of other guys here like you. Girls, too."

"R-Really?"

"Sure! Being gay doesn't make you a freak at all."

Theo was so thrown for a loop, he could've sworn he heard a record scratch. "Wh-What?!"

"Oh, yeah," Roman continued, oblivious to Theo's shock, "We've even got an LGBTQ+ Club on campus. It's a great place for members of the community to hang out whenever they need a safe space." He turned serious again suddenly, his hands tightening around Theo's, "...and don't you dare listen to jerks like Jasper, okay? If he or his pals ever pick on you again, come talk to me or one of the teachers immediately. It's better than sending them to the nurse on a stretcher."

"Ah... erm... r-right," Theo mumbled, forcing a smile, "I-I'll do that. Thank you... and... I'm sorry for... l-losing my temper."

"Hey, it's no big," Roman assured him, "If anything, Jasper will learn a valuable lesson from all this."

Theo shared Roman's laughter as they left the locker room, glad to be able to relax for a moment. As he laid awake in bed that night, it struck him that his father was completely wrong.

Roman wasn't the problem; he was the solution.