Firebug: Ch. 30 - Consequences

From the second the tornado hit, everything was a blur for Theo. The wind howled louder than a freight train, stinging his eyes and skin like dozens of microscopic knives as it whipped mercilessly around them in a dizzying frenzy. His seventeen short years flashed before his eyes. Eventually he just squeezed them shut, burying his face in Roman's chest. Never before had he been so absolutely terrified.

Then, suddenly, he heard Roman laughing.

Cautiously, Theo raised his head, shocked to see the funnel fizzling out around them. When he looked to Roman, the American had the broadest grin on his face. His right arm was raised above his head, wrestling the powerful storm into submission bare-handed. Pride and pure delight oozed out from every pore on his body. What astonished Theo the most, however, were Roman's eyes. They had changed color, just as they'd done in the pool during the Homecoming Dance. This time, they were a soft, slate grey.

"Bello... look," he giggled, "I did it."

There wasn't time to let Roman's words sink in, as he sagged in Theo's arms with no warning whatsoever. Theo scrambled to support his boyfriend's weight, but it had taken too long for him to realize what was happening. Not a second later, Roman dropped like a stone to the floor, crushing Theo beneath him in the process. With great difficulty and even greater urgency, Theo wriggled out from under Roman, rolling his unconscious boyfriend onto his back.

"R-Romeo?! Romeo! C-Can you hear me?!"

Roman gave no response at all, throwing Theo into a raging panic. He shook, slapped, and chafed nearly every bit of the Student Body President, desperate to revive him. Despite his feverish efforts, however, Roman remained out cold and unresponsive. Frankly, Theo wasn't entirely sure he was still breathing.

"Help," Theo wheezed, "S-Someone please, help me!!"

Perhaps it was Providence, or Fate - or more than likely just stupid, blind luck - but Theo's cry was answered a minute later. After a good bit of heavy scraping and deep grunting, the lockers wedged in front of the door slid aside. As soon as it was clear, a portly orange blur bounced through the doorway straight over to Theo. He finally recognized it as Coach Guff, seconds before he was roughly pushed aside.

"Durant! C'mon, stay with me, Champ!" Coach ordered, patting the unconscious teen's face urgently.

All he received from Roman was a quiet, hoarse groan. Still, that small noise lifted the invisible lorry from Theo's shoulders in an instant. Coach Guff tried again before laying his ear on Roman's chest, clearly relying on decades of advanced first aid training. After a few moments, he sat up and took off his cap to wipe the sweat from his brow.

"I think he'll be okay," Coach decided, "Pulse is good and strong, and his breathing is fine. Probably just fainted. Strange, though, that he hasn't got a scratch on him otherwise. What about you, Quill? You hurt?"

Theo shook his head woodenly. Honestly, he hadn't taken time to look over himself. Even if he were injured, Theo was too numb from shock to notice any pain. Before he could say anything, Coach Guff suddenly stared at Theo again, confusion crinkling his piggy little eyes.

"What on Earth are you even doing here, Quill?!" he demanded, "First you cut my class, then you show up here two periods later for no reason?!"

"I-I can explain," Theo stammered, "I... I was-"

"Now look here, Quill," Coach Guff interrupted sharply, "I know you're a 'Friend of Dorothy', and I got no problems with it. That being said, I won't stand for any shenanigans or inappropriate behavior in my locker room!"

"I... n-no, sir!" Theo blurted, "I-I would never! J-Jasper, he-"

Sirens wailing in the distance derailed Theo's train of thought. Ambulances and police cars, a whole fleet of them by the sound of it. With every second that passed, they seemed to be getting closer. That was to be expected, he supposed, given the damage the freak storm had wrought. Theo was brought back to the present by a hand dropping heavily onto his shoulder. When he centered his attention on Coach Guff's face again, it was far kinder than before.

"We'll put this on the back burner for now," Coach sighed, "Until then, we got bigger fish to fry. You sure you're okay, Quill?"

Theo's eyes lowered to Roman, still very much unconscious at his side. Afterwards, his gaze wandered to the rest of the locker room. There wasn't much left of it at all, apart from two cinderblock walls still partially standing. The rest of it had been stripped to the foundation: no more benches; no sinks or showers; even the tiles on the floor were long gone.

He'd survived. He was unhurt. But he was far from okay.

As his shock ebbed, the pain of everything he'd gone through that day hit him with full, sharp clarity. Theo ached from scalp to toes suddenly; a bone-deep, earth-shattering ache that shuddered him to his core. The worst of it was in his chest. His ribs were so tight, and his agony so profound, it was difficult to breathe... and, eventually, he realized why. As the pain reached its apex, a pitiful sob erupted from the bowels of his throat. Once that first one broke through, it unleashed a flood in its wake. Within seconds, Theo was sobbing like an infant on Coach Guff's shoulder. He was still weeping when a paramedic knelt down to examine him. And when his father finally made it onto the scene.

Through his tears, he told Thaddeus everything, beginning with the hell Jasper put him in. Theo expected his father to be cross. To berate him for being so weak and stupid. Instead, Thaddeus said nothing. He merely wrapped a gloved hand around the back of Theo's neck, and drew him into a stiff hug. The first Theo had received from him in over a year.

"Come along," he muttered, "we're going home."

Theo immediately looked at Roman for approval, his heart sinking at the state of the handsome, olive-skinned teen. He'd been laid out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance under Coach Guff's dogged supervision. Roman had yet to revive, still lost in a deep, impenetrable slumber after his battle with the tornado. Theo wished to go with him to hospital, of course. A gentle tug on his arm made him look back at Thaddeus at the last moment. The old man's face was as grim as ever... but his eyes held immeasurable sympathy.

"There's nothing you can do for him, Son," he insisted quietly, "you'll only be in the way."

Again, Theo hesitated, his heart leaping into his mouth as the wagon's doors were pulled to. Roman needed him. He couldn't just-

"Now, Theodore," Thaddeus muttered, his tone a bit sharper than before, "I won't repeat myself. The doctors will take good care of him, I'm certain."

The ambulance was already pulling away. Besides, Theo was in no shape to tag along. He had no shoes. Or trousers. If his father hadn't brought his spare glasses, he wouldn't even be able to see it rolling through the school's gates. As there was little point in arguing, Theo hung his head and followed Thaddeus in the opposite direction. It seemed his father didn't trust him not to run off, as he held Theo's hand the entire way like an imbecile.

Two days later, Hill Academy's faculty and student population were still talking about the tornado. It was all over the news as well, going down in history as one of the worst the state had ever seen. Not only that, but they'd never experienced such a storm so late in the year either. There was talk of the school being shut down again, but ultimately the school board decided to keep it open as all the damage was localized to the gymnasium. Attendance was not mandatory for those who were injured during the storm, and three new counselors were made available to both students and faculty should they need guidance.

Theo wasn't sure if Roman would be flattered or horrified by all the buzz circulating about the tornado he'd created. Roman was still in hospital, and Theo hadn't been allowed to go see him. He called, of course, and texted as much as Thaddeus' budget family plan would allow. All but once, Theo only reached his voicemail. The single call that went through was answered by Roman's mum, who informed Theo that Roman was resting and very politely insisted that he not call again.

Under duress, Theo obliged. Still, it was difficult not knowing what was happening. Was Roman alright? Had he regained consciousness at all since being admitted? Or did he just not wish to talk? Perhaps he was angry at Theo for abandoning him. Perhaps Roman hated him now. It was Theo's fault, after all, that he'd conjured the storm. If Theo had been a bit smarter or quicker, Jasper wouldn't have gotten the drop on him so easily, causing Roman's anger - and abilities - to flare.

It was all Theo's fault.

Theo was jarred from his swirling thoughts by the school bell, bringing him back down to earth in a second flat. He shook his head with a sigh as he packed up his things to move to his next class. Brooding over things he couldn't control would likely make things worse, after all. Theo just kept his head down and soldiered on, trying not to think about Roman as he paused at his locker. When he attempted to open it, however, the lock mechanism caught on the inside and refused to budge.

He'd never had problems opening his locker before, but he was to preoccupied to flag it as a warning. With a bit more oomph, he finally got the blooming thing open. As soon as he did, a flood of papers came spilling out. In under two seconds they covered the floor, fluttering down the corridor in both directions. Theo was so caught off guard, he tried to catch them automatically, then slipped on the ones littered about his feet. He fell quite hard, earning a few guffaws from his schoolmates. It took him a moment to realize, however, that they weren't laughing at him.

It was the papers themselves they found so amusing.

Confused, Theo actually looked at one of the fliers clenched in his fist for the first time. His mouth immediately ran drier than the Sahara, his pulse racing like a greyhound on espresso. His own face stared back at him from the wrinkled paper in full color... naked as the day he was born in Roman's arms. Bold, red letters ran along the top of the photo, which enraged him more than the picture itself. Just reading them made his lunch crawl back up his throat, coating his tongue with sour bile.

"Die, Pyro Slut!"

Theo slowly looked up at his locker, which still had fliers raining from it. The same words were scribbled all over the interior in permanent ink, along with a few other colorful insults. His eyes stung madly as those hurtful words swam together, opening old wounds that were just beginning to mend. Theo just sat there on his knees, too frozen and overwhelmed to do anything for a moment. A few months ago, Hill Academy had felt so welcoming. So kind. He'd actually convinced himself that things would be different this go around. Especially with Roman by his side.

But he was wrong. This school was just as hateful and rotten as the last. Nothing was going to change. Not then. Not now. Not ever. No one would accept him. Nowhere was safe.

The papers crumbling to ashes in his hands brought life back into Theo's bones. Operating fully on instinct, Theo scrambled to his feet, barreling past the gathering crowd of giggling onlookers. Just like his first day at Hill Academy, he had no clue where he was going. Nor did he really care. He ran blindly, bumping into walls and students around every corner, but not once did he slow down.

When he finally stopped to fill his burning lungs, he found himself on the roof of the Academy's main building. As he scrubbed his streaming eyes and snuffling nose, Theo's trainers automatically inched closer to the edge. He could see everything from up there: the courtyard where he'd met Roman; the American football pitch, where he'd cheered Roman on during the Homecoming Game; the weight room, where they'd admitted their feelings for one another; and the gymnasium, where they'd announced their love unintentionally to the entire school at the dance.

Seeing the gym brought a painful lump to Theo's throat. Yellow police tape still crisscrossed over the back left quadrant of it, where the gents' locker room used to exist. Destruction seemed to follow Theo wherever he went. No matter where he was, people were going to get hurt. First Jason, and now Roman too.

Automatically, Theo gazed at the concrete stairs leading into the building three stories below. He was tired of hurting people. Tired of feeling like a monster among his peers. Frankly, he was just bloody tired. The solution seemed laughably simple now. All he had to do was lean over a little more... and in an instant, the entire world would be a better place.

"Theo! Theo, stop!!"

That voice froze Theo in his tracks. He knew it better than his own, despite not hearing it for an entire year. For a moment, he'd convinced himself he'd imagined it. There was no way it could be real, after all. With hope hanging by a thread, Theo shifted his gaze further out, finding the person who'd called to him so fervently. When he did, his heart fluttered to a complete stop.

It wasn't possible... yet it was really him.

"Jason?" he whispered.