Firebug: Ch. 19 - The Durants

The last time Roman had seen Theo so angry, Jasper's face got dented with a dodgeball. His bandaged hands shook from gripping his sheets so tight, his freckled face darkening from off-white to blood red within seconds. When he saw the tears gathering in the corners of the shorter teen's eyes, Roman felt a spark of anger ignite behind his own sternum.

Frankly, he couldn't blame Theo for being royally pissed at his dad. It was justifiable, after the outrageous order Mr. Quill had just given. He might as well have told Theo to stop breathing, or to go without food for the next month. Still, Roman held his peace, trying to stay out of it as best he could. Mouthing off once was how he'd gotten Theo in this position, after all. Watching Theo grow more upset by the second, though, didn't help his resolve whatsoever. He would've had better luck putting out a paint factory fire with a leaky bucket.

"You can't be serious!" Theo shouted. "We go to the same school! We've got nearly identical class schedules, for bloody sake!!"

"I'll have them changed," Mr. Quill said, the icy chill in his voice contrasting sharply with the ever-increasing temperature in the room. "If need be, I'll hire a private tutor and start home-schooling you."

Theo's tremors moved from his hands up to his shoulders, a rogue tear finally rolling down his cheek. "You can't... Y-You can't do this to me!" he said, his voice whisper-quiet but dripping with grief and desperation. "Dad... I-I love him..."

For the briefest of moments, Mr. Quill's stony facade cracked. The expression underneath was all but impossible for Roman to interpret. There was one thing at least he could see in the heartless bastard's eyes: pain. Festering, and long-buried, but clear as crystal. Within seconds, the old man's mask slid back into place, ten times as grim and cold as before.

"Idiot child," he mumbled, "You don't know what love is. How can you?"

The dust was not allowed to settle on his words before a stampede of running feet suddenly echoed down the hall. In the time it took for Roman to turn his head toward the noise, a woman came bursting into the room. The short, rotund septuagenarian nearly knocked Mr. Quill off his feet, her brown eyes wide and wild with worry. The moment they locked onto Roman, though, they melted into soft pools of warm molasses. Just like they always did when they looked at him.

"Roman! Mio tesoro!" she breathed, running up to him much faster than her flabby frame would suggest she was capable of. Before he even had the chance to open his mouth, her soft hands were kneading his cheeks like pizza dough.

"What happened to you?!" she cooed, kissing Roman repeatedly all over his face, "They said you were in an accident last night! Oh, Caro mio! Here, let me look at you!"

Roman felt his face grow hot under the fussing old woman's pudgy palms, and not just because of how viciously she was pinching and smushing it. "It's good to see you, too, Nonna," he said, "I'm okay, I promise."

"You'd better be," Nonna sniffed, giving his flushed, abused cheek an extra pinch and a pat. "Connie! Mark! He's in here!"

Roman's heart stopped beating for a moment, shooting into his mouth like a bottle rocket. Not two seconds after those names hit his ears, a much younger woman and a man jogged into the room. Faces he hadn't seen for weeks, and didn't expect to see again until Christmas Break.

The woman - olive-skinned, fit, and pretty as the day was long - was the first of the two to run up and hug him. Although Roman was a head and a half taller than her, he felt like a little kid again the second her arms were around him. Without even thinking about it, he melted into her embrace, breathing the scent of her long, dark curls deeply.

"Roman, Baby, thank goodness," she sighed, squeezing him tight before suddenly letting go. Much sooner than Roman would have liked. "You have to be more careful," she chided, "What were you even doing near a swimming pool?!"

"It's... complicated," Roman muttered, "...but I'm fine, Mom, really."

"See, Hon? I told you he'd be a-okay," the man said, clapping a firm, ruddy hand onto Roman's shoulder without warning, "Nothing to worry about here. Durant men are built tough! Good to see you, Champ."

That reassuring slap sent Roman crash-landing back onto the edge of the bed, but he tried his best to laugh it off. "Thanks, Dad," he said, smiling up at the tall, rugged ginger. "It's great to see you, too. Sorry I worried you."

Roman was so swept up in all the attention he was suddenly bombarded with, he allowed himself to forget that he wasn't the only patient in the room. The sizzling hot, gauze-covered fingers gripping the flap of his hospital gown might as well have been a sledgehammer to the brain, reminding him that Theo was still there. And Roman wasn't the only one who noticed.

"Oh... hello," Mrs. Durant said, waving awkwardly at Theo, "I'm sorry; we didn't realize Roman had a roommate."

"Yes," Thaddeus grumped, finally finding his voice again from the corner he'd slinked into, "he does. Don't worry; we're leaving."

"Dad-"

"Theodore, do not argue with me."

Thaddeus spoke quietly, but his tone was no less threatening. He grabbed the plastic bag holding Theo's clothes off the sofa beside him, tossing it onto his son's bed with a glower. Although he didn't say another word, his harsh, grim expression spoke volumes. The fire in Theo's eyes wasn't burning nearly as bright as before, all but quashed to cinders by fear. But the important thing was it was still there.

Without thinking, Roman gripped Theo's knee through the sheet covering it, drawing the quaking Brit's attention back onto him. "You don't have to go if you don't want to," he murmured.

"You know this boy, Romy?" Nonna frowned, nudging her grandson's arm curiously. "Is he a friend of yours from school?"

Roman wet his lips, pausing a moment before nodding. "Yeah... something like that," he said quietly.

This was not exactly how he'd planned to come out to his family. Hell, he hadn't even thought that far ahead yet. He was sure they'd love and support him no matter what... but he couldn't ignore that quiet, nagging voice in the back of his head. The voice that had lived there rent free since his early adolescence, and which seemed to grow louder whenever his family was close by.

"Don't disappoint them. You can't let them down. Now now. Not ever."

"Theo saved my life," he finally said, smiling at his boyfriend warmly. "I have no idea how he did it... but if he hadn't, I wouldn't be here right now."

Theo returned his smile with a shy, wan one, showing his gratitude. Two seconds later, the Brit's freckly, shocked face was caught in Nonna's firm, loving grip.

"In that case, I thank you," she said, kissing Theo once on each cheek. "From now on, Bambino, you are family!"

Theo looked so happy, Roman was positive he'd start blubbering like a baby any second. The moment passed quickly unfortunately, killed dead in an instant by Thaddeus gripping Theo's arm from the other side of the bed. Before Roman could do or say anything to help, the hard-nosed Brit yanked his son out of bed by the elbow.

"Enough of this nonsense," he hissed, "Get dressed, Theodore. I'll not tell you again!"

Theo's knees shook like wet noodles beneath him, and they only looked half as sturdy. He threw out his bandaged hand automatically, gripping Roman's shoulder out of instinct for support. Father and son traded a few angry looks back and forth, almost like they were having a conversation telepathically. After a minute or so, Theo hung his head in defeat, grabbing his stuff meekly with his free hand.

He only took a single, wobbly step toward the bathroom before his knees folded like cheap lawn chairs. In his brief panic, he clawed at the air blindly for the closest available surface, trying to stop his fall. Although Thaddeus put out a gloved hand to catch his son, Roman beat him to the punch, grabbing Theo in a bear hug around the waist.

"Gotcha!" he muttered, holding Theo close as he settled back onto the bed. "Damn, that was close. You okay?"

Theo started to nod, but the gesture quickly changed to a shake. "Just... a-a bit dizzy," he mumbled, tightening his arms around Roman's neck.

Theo laid his head on Roman's shoulder, making Roman melt into a puddle of goo on the spot. Any other time, Roman would've pulled the Brit into his lap and held him for the rest of the day. Right now, though, with his family giving him so many befuddled and slightly embarrassed looks, he lost the nerve to do so.

"You should, um... be more careful then," Roman said, prying Theo's arms off his person gently. "Wouldn't want you hurting yourself worse."

It was Theo's turn to look confused, and more than a little hurt. He was a smart guy, though, and honestly a lot more intuitive than Roman could ever hope to be. Roman didn't have to say a word to explain his behavior, because Theo's eyes softened with understanding a minute later.

"Yes," he murmured, "We, erm... w-wouldn't want that. Thanks, Mate."

A harsh, guttural, "A-hem," echoed across the room then, originating from the door. Roman turned with a jerk toward the sound, his back stiffening when he saw who had made it. The charge nurse, Ms. Flanagan, was back. She'd been fussing over Theo all day while he was asleep, which seemed... well, odd. With a whole ward of nurses to manage, she easily could've sent one of her subordinates to change Theo's bandages and check his IV. Roman never questioned her or her methods though. He'd have to be crazy to, as her withering scowl could kill a man at a hundred paces.

"Your son's been discharged," she grumped, tossing a ream of paper at Roman's parents, "Congrats. Fill that out, please... and you-" she gestured to Roman, "-put some pants on."

Roman nodded, barely able to contain his relief. Instead of doing as he was told, though, he hesitated. It might've had something to do with the gauze mitt wrapping around his wrist, holding him in place.

"Thanks," he said carefully, "...but... what about Theo?"

"Yeah, no," she said bluntly, "He's not going anywhere yet. Poor kid can't even stand up on his own, let alone walk. And his fever is still sky high."

Thaddeus rolled his eyes, clearly using all his self-control not to fry the paint off the walls. "I assure you, madam, my son is perfectly healthy. We're taking our leave. Now."

"You wanna leave AMA?" Nurse Flanagan's penciled-in brow rose skeptically, "Be my guest. I'm sure he'll have a much better time suffering at home instead of here... where there are people who understand his condition, and who can help him recover more quickly."

As she spoke, Nurse Flanagan's irises changed color. It only lasted half a second; so quickly, Roman was sure he had to have imagined it. In that moment, though, her eyes definitely looked more yellow than green. Admittedly, Roman was a little freaked by it. Thaddeus, however, looked like he was about to stroke out. His face ran the gamut: shocked, scared, angry, then finally defeated.

"Fine," he grumbled, "as you wish."

Once a triumphant Nurse Flanagan left the room, Roman leaned over toward Theo. "Uh... what was that about?" he whispered.

"I'll explain later," the Brit whispered back, sandwiching Roman's hand between his, "...that is, if I ever get the chance to."

Roman's other hand moved automatically to Theo's face, freezing in midair about half an inch from it. He wanted to cup his boyfriend's cheek more than anything, but Nonna was still watching him while his parents filled out his release forms. In order to avert suspicion, Roman's hand floated further up, playfully ruffling Theo's messy blond curls.

"Don't even worry about it, Dude," he insisted, "I've got a plan. Everything's gonna be okay."