Firebug: Ch. 27 - Sabotage

He dreamed of her. For the first time since he was little, Theo saw her in his mind's eye. Her soft, blue-green eyes were more beautiful than he remembered; her pale, freckled face remarkably similar to his... only sadder. He could feel her arms around him - her long, auburn plait tickling his shoulder - as she helped him on with his coat and wellies. Two suitcases sat by the door; one large and brown, the other small, red, and covered with Postman Pat stickers.

"Where are we going, Mummy?"

A finger touched his lips, soft and gentle yet shaky.

"Quiet, My Love; we mustn't wake Daddy. Come now. Quick, like a bunny."

"Theodore? Theodore!? Where are you?!"

Theo's small body quaked at the roar, so loud it shook the whole house. Daddy was awake. Daddy was angry. He ran for the door, trying to follow his mother, but he grew no closer to either it or her. The faster he ran, in fact, the farther away he got.

The next thing he knew, he was back upstairs in his favorite Danger Mouse pyjamas, peeking through the railing at the den below. Mummy was upset, begging Daddy to calm down. Daddy just got angrier, calling her all sorts of nasty names.

The heat... The heat was unbearable. Suddenly, a flash of light filled the whole house. Mummy screamed.

"Daddy, no!!"

Theo was still shaking as he bolted upright, the smell of ash and burnt hair fresh in his nose. Seconds later, someone grabbed him in a firm hug, crushing Theo against their powerful chest. Once his initial shock wore off, Theo melted into the embrace with a shudder.

"S'okay, Bello; I got you."

Theo nodded, not trusting himself to speak at first. The details of his dream were fading quickly, yet he remained ill at ease. With reluctance, he eventually pried himself from Roman's comforting grip.

"I'm alright," he said, hoping Roman believed it, "...but thank you."

Roman nodded, his soft brown eyes never leaving Theo's.

"Another nightmare?"

With a gulp, Theo nodded again.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Theo answered quickly, "It... It was just a dream. S-Stupid, really. Nothing to talk about."

Clearly, Roman wasn't convinced. As worried as he was, though, he wisely chose not to pry. Part of Theo wished he would, however.

"You kids awake yet?" Nurse Flanagan grumped from the doorway.

She was dressed in her scrubs already, her frizzy hair pulled back in a claw clip. Based on the thermos of coffee in her hand and the handbag over her shoulder, the hour must've been later than Theo realized.

"I gotta head to work," she said, tossing a heavy wad of keys onto the bed, "Coffee's still hot if you want it. Lock the door when you leave."

"Thanks," Roman said, flashing a small, appreciative grin, "Sorry for... y'know... everything."

"Don't mention it," Nurse Flanagan grumbled, "Seriously. And I expect you to leave those keys under the mat outside. Ain't running a hostel here."

"Of course," Theo said, crawling out of bed in the same breath, "Actually, we'll follow you out."

"We will?" Roman frowned, "I was looking forward to some of that coffee."

"No time," Theo sighed, kissing his boyfriend apologetically, "If we don't hurry, we won't have time to get to school."

Roman graciously conceded defeat, even though he clearly had no problem staying in bed for the rest of the day. Frankly, if they didn't have an irritable Pyro nurse glaring at them, Theo might've said "yes" if he'd asked to. On the way to school, though, Roman's mood noticeably lifted a bit. He carried the bulk of the conversation, which was just fine with Theo. Honestly, Theo was still too rattled from his nightmare to talk. Too focused on his own thoughts to even pay attention really to what Roman was rattling on about.

Thaddeus never talked about Theo's mother. About that night. The official story was that she left, abandoning her husband and young son in the dead of night with no warning whatsoever. Theo barely remembered her, and as a child he had no reason to doubt his father. Thaddeus had always been distant, strict, and on edge, but he was a loving parent nonetheless. Then, Theo's abilities manifested, and everything changed. From the moment he conjured his first flame, Thaddeus had been colder than ever; more paranoid; more controlling. Traits that had only gotten worse since Jason's death and their move to America.

Theo's fists tightened on his knees, overwhelmed at just the thought of Jason. He'd never forgiven himself for that day, even if it was an accident, and he most likely never would. After that dream, however - that hideous nightmare - Theo suddenly saw his former boyfriend's death in a new light. Of course, he couldn't be sure any of it was true, being based on a distant childhood memory that was hazy at best. If it was, though, the implications were impossible to ignore.

If Thaddeus had killed his wife in a rage - just as Theo had Jason - was Theo in danger of becoming just like him?

"Bello? Hey, you awake over there?"

Theo jolted in his seat, scrubbing his nose automatically as he turned toward Roman. "What? O-Oh, yes," he mumbled, clearing his throat to cover a sniffle, "Sorry, Love... y-you were saying?"

Roman eased the Jeep into a parking space, frowning as he cut the engine. "Bello, are you okay? Seems like you've got a lot on your mind. Well, I mean, not that I could blame you, after last night. Still having a hard time wrapping my own head around-"

"Wh-? Oh, no," Theo shook his head resolutely, "Romeo, it's not that. Honestly. No matter who - or what - you are, I will always love you. Never doubt that."

"Wow," Roman's olive face glowed with a blush, lighting up with a bashful little grin, "Gosh... that's a relief. I love you, too, Bello." He took Theo's hand then, kissing the heel of it, before his expression turned serious again.

"Are you sure there's nothing you want to talk about? I'm always ready to listen, y'know."

"I know," Theo sighed, "Truthfully... there is something. And I promise I'll tell you all about it later. For now, though, I'm more interested in what you have to say. It seems I've missed an entire conversation, and I'd very much like to get up to speed... if it's not too late, of course."

Roman turned Theo's hand over slowly, drawing lazy circles in Theo's palm with his fingertip. "I was asking if you liked turkey," he said, a shy smile tugging at his lips, "Normally I'm more of a ham guy myself, but I can never say no to my Old Man's deep-fried turkey."

Theo blinked, unable to hold in a small chuckle at such a silly question. "Not sure I've ever had it," he said, "Dad's not much of a cook. I think we had goose once, but that was before my mum-"

The words suddenly made a hard left in Theo's throat, sticking sideways like a fishbone. He had to swallow quite a few times before he could speak again, but tried his best to hide his sudden flood of emotion.

"N-Never mind," he finished, "Why do you ask?"

"Well," Roman fidgeted in his seat, "I'm asking because Thanksgiving is around the corner... and... I want you to spend it with me. And my family, of course. Y-You don't have to say yes! I mean, it's a lot to ask, especially with everything we've been dealing with lately. Besides, they don't even know I'm gay, and asking a guy I've only been dating for a few months to meet my entire family is-"

"Wonderful," Theo blurted, taking Roman's hand in both his, "I'd be delighted!"

Roman looked so happy, he could weep. "R-Really?! Great! That's awesome! I'll call my mom first chance I get!"

The moment was spoiled by Theo's mobile, ringing right out of his jacket pocket. He caught it before it hit the floorboards, groaning at the caller ID on the screen.

"Of course," he grumbled. In the same breath, he swiped his thumb across the green accept icon and brought the device to his ear. "Hi, Dad."

"Hi, Dad?!" Thaddeus roared into the speaker, "Theodore, I've been calling you all night! Are you-?!"

"I'm at school," Theo snapped back, "...and I'm almost late for class."

"Don't you dare give me that attitude, young man!" Thaddeus snapped, "You had me worried sick! This conversation is not over! Hurry on to class; after dismissal, I will be waiting to pick you up! No excuses!"

Theo winced at the eardrum piercing click from the other end of the line, sighing as he put away his mobile.

"He's in a right state," he sighed, "what else is new?"

"Sorry," Roman murmured, fluffing Theo's curls, "I should talk to him. It's my fault you didn't come home last night."

"I don't bloody well care what he thinks," Theo said, shocked by the anger and conviction in his own voice, "not anymore."

He lingered for another moment, just long enough to kiss Roman goodbye, then grabbed his rucksack off the back seat and legged it across the car park. Instead of going to the school's main entrance, however, he cut across the football field towards the gymnasium. Eventually, he reached his destination: the gents' locker room.

Quick as he could, he raided Roman's locker for a change of clothes and sped into the shower room. Theo never liked showering on campus, but he badly needed one. Thankfully, it appeared to be deserted, so he jumped in the first available stall. And he had to hurry; first period started in less than ten minutes.

Not three minutes into his shower, Theo froze at the low squeak of the locker room's door opening. A half-dozen shuffling footsteps followed, along with a few muffled giggles. Something was afoot - he knew - and he didn't plan to hang around long enough to find out what it was. Still dripping with soapy water, Theo felt around for his glasses and towel that he'd left on the sink nearby. Only, they didn't seem to be there anymore.

Everything was gone. His glasses, rucksack, clothes... all of it.

Trying not to panic, Theo covered his shame to the best of his ability and hurried back to Roman's locker. There had to be something - anything - left in it that he could wear. While he was still rifling through it, a strong pair of hands slammed into his back, shoving him inside without warning. Before Theo even knew what happened, the locker door snapped shut behind him. And - to his horror - there was no way to open it from within.

As he banged on the door and screamed for help, the same incessant giggles from before reached Theo's ears. When the locker room door opened and closed again, the laughter and footsteps moved farther away, fading into silence. Suddenly, the reality of Theo's situation struck him like a piano falling from a third-story window.

Theo was blind, naked, trapped... and all alone.