Firebug: Ch. 20 - Making Plans

"Whoa..."

"Tell me about it."

"And you had no idea?"

"None whatsoever," Theo sighed, snuggling closer to Roman. A chill wind ruffled his curls, forcing him to pull their shared, oversized blanket tighter around his shoulders. Halloween was hours away, but Winter's chill already had a firm grip on the city. Then again, it was always cold out on the fire escape.

In the days following Theo's release from hospital, the fire escape had quickly become his and Roman's favorite hiding place. It was always quiet; empty; peaceful. A place where they could talk, unwind, or just... be. Of course, they still had to be careful around Thaddeus. That's why all their meetings took place at night, away from Thaddeus' disapproving gaze. This was no exception.

Roman scooted closer with a huff, sharing more of his body heat. As he took his next breath, he drew Theo into his lap, kissing the blond's brow, nose, and lips in quick succession. Every time they brushed his skin, Theo shivered even more, and it had nothing to do with the temperature.

"It's a heck of a lot to take in," he admitted, "knowing there are others like you... as well as people who can control earth, wind, and water. Honestly, I dunno if I can ever wrap my head around it."

"That makes two of us," Theo murmured, melting into Roman's embrace. He paused just a moment, gnawing anxiously on his lower lip. The nagging, uneasy thought blaring throughout his skull could not be contained, however, forcing its way through his jaws a few seconds later.

"My father... I think he knew," he whispered, "I think... he's always known." Regretting the accusation immediately, Theo buried his face in the hollow of Roman's neck and shoulder. "Tell me I'm wrong," be begged, "That I'm insane for even considering such a notion."

It was Roman's turn to fall into uneasy silence, which was not comforting at all. Eventually, the olive-skinned teen lifted Theo's head off his shoulder, turning his pale, slender jaw until their eyes met.

"The only person who can answer that, unfortunately, is your dad," Roman said quietly, his thumb stroking Theo's freckly cheek. "If he didn't know, he's probably freaking out over this just as much as you. If he did... Well... maybe he had a good reason not to tell you."

"A good reason?!" Theo snapped, pulling his face out of Roman's gentle grip, "What reason would be good enough for making me feel like a monster the last year and a half of my life?! F-For being a controlling tyrant toward me my entire existence?!"

Roman opened his mouth to answer, but his jaw slowly closed again with a shake of his head. "I'm sorry, Bello," he said, "I wish I could tell you." Very gently, he guided Theo's head to his shoulder once more, his strong, olive fingers tangling in the shorter bloke's golden curls. "No matter what, he is your dad," Roman whispered, "controlling tyrant or not, he still loves you."

"Really?" A dry, humorless snort left Theo of its own volition. "That seems highly unlikely."

"Why? You're impossible not to love."

Theo lapsed into silence again, weighing his boyfriend's words. He wanted to believe there was truth in them, but it was nigh on impossible to see it. He didn't want to think about his father anyway, so he shoved it all aside for now. This moment belonged to him and Roman; no one else. As cold as it was, he could've sat on that scaffolding all night. He assumed Roman was of the same mind... until the tall, athletic teen suddenly hopped to his feet.

"Leaving already?" Theo frowned, "pity. Seems like you just got here."

"Nope," Roman said, offering his hand with a grin and a wink, "we're leaving. C'mon."

Theo's wide, panicked eyes flicked to the window behind him, his jaw dropping open in shock. "You-?! No," he hissed, almost forgetting to whisper, "I-I can't! If my dad finds out-"

"He won't," Roman's smile softened, his hand finding its favorite perch on Theo's cheek, "Trust me, Bello. We need this. You need this. We'll be back soon. One hour; two tops. I promise."

It was a horrible idea. Dangerous, and incredibly foolish, too. But it was also exciting... intriguing... wonderful. Although Theo's head insisted he say no, he let his heart take the lead. The next thing he knew, he was shinnying down the fire escape after Roman. His Jeep was parked at the end of the alley, which Theo climbed into without hesitation. A moment later, they were off: speeding through the darkness with no idea where they were going, except away.

It was a lovely night for a drive. The skies were crystal clear, letting the stars shine with their full brilliance. Roman's car was practically the only one zipping down the road, which was to be expected given the lateness of the hour. Theo hadn't realized how late it really was until he glanced at the clock in the dashboard: one-fifteen a.m. To quell his nerves, he reached toward the driver's seat, laying his hand atop Roman's over the gearshift.

"Will you tell me where we're going now?"

Roman took his eyes off the road for a split second, just long enough to cast Theo an impish grin. "Nope," he answered, "it's a surprise. Just sit back and relax, ok? I promise it'll be worth it."

Theo slumped down a little in his seat, playing the piano nervously on Roman's knuckles. He wasn't averse to surprises, but he did prefer a small heads-up should one be on the horizon. Although, theoretically that would negate the entire idea of a surprise. The paradox created a small, throbbing pain behind Theo's left eye, forcing him to cease thinking about it.

Roman was right, it seemed, as usual: he did need a bit of a break.

Before long, they'd traveled away from the city's bustling heart to the outskirts. Theo hadn't been to this part of town before. Frankly, he had no idea it even existed, which was a complete shame because it was breathtaking. The buildings were noticeably much older than most of the city, easily one or two centuries old. Despite their vintage style and construction, each structure was perfectly preserved: new paint; meticulously scrubbed bricks; not even the smallest hint of age, wear, or decay. As if Time had left them all untouched for centuries.

Roman turned the car around a bend a few minutes later, eventually stopping and executing a perfect parallel park. They'd reached their destination, it seemed... but it still left Theo quite puzzled. The shop Roman had parked in front of was a Chinese restaurant, and it had closed hours ago. Before Theo could ask if this was the right place, Roman was opening the passenger side door for him. Theo was even more nervous than before, and he had a million questions, but he'd learned not to doubt his boyfriend. Trusting him implicitly, Theo took the hand that was offered, allowing Roman to lead him down the alley to the back of the restaurant.

When they reached the back door, Roman produced a set of keys and unlocked it, adding more questions to the growing tempest that was Theo's thoughts. With no explanation whatsoever, Roman ducked inside, gesturing for Theo to follow him up a small flight of stairs branching off from the kitchen. It was pitch dark, so Theo grabbed onto the hem of Roman's coat to keep his bearings. They stood in the darkness at the top of the stairs for a moment, until a door opened in front of Roman with a soft, metallic click.

It was an apartment. Not large or extravagant by any means, but reasonably maintained and tidy. There was only one room as far as Theo could tell, split between a galley-style kitchen and a bare-bones living space with just a futon and an old-fashioned CRTV. The only other door he saw hung open on its hinges, giving him a glimpse of a bathroom smaller than his bedroom closet beyond.

He was still taking it all in when Roman moved to the center of the room, a grin on his face and his hands giving a small Jazz waggle. "Well? What do you think? I know it's not much, but it's got great bones. Of course, It needs real furniture and some dishes and stuff, but-"

"Hang on," Theo held up a startled hand to stop his boyfriend's nervous chattering, "This is yours? How-? Why-?"

"Actually," Roman fidgeted with his keys a moment, taking one off and pressing it into Theo's palm, "...I was hoping it could be ours. N-Not that I'm asking you to move in with me full time! I mean, I would be stoked if you did, of course. I just thought it would be cool to have a little place to hang if things got crazy. No school, no parents... no judgement."

Theo burst out in a fit of dizzy giggles, his disbelief giving way to wonder and delight. "You did all this... just for us?" he marveled, "Romeo, I... I-I dunno what to say. Is this legal? Can we even afford the rent?"

"Well, I'll be eighteen in a few weeks anyway, so my folks are cool with it," Roman promised, "The rent's not exactly cheap, but I got Mr. Yao - that's our landlord - to give me a discount on the deposit. Of course, I will be spending every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday night delivering moo shu pork for him until I'm out of college. Still... it's worth it." He rubbed his hands on his jeans, pausing to take a breath, his smile turning nervous suddenly. "So... do you like it? Or did I royally screw up?"

Theo answered his question with a kiss, wrapping his arms around the taller bloke's neck to deepen it. He wasn't sure how exactly it happened, but his back was flat to the futon when the embrace finally ended. The air was full of static, most of which was crackling off Theo's fingertips. He felt like a firecracker with a lit fuse, ready to go off any second, but he didn't care. He wasn't afraid at all... not when Roman was around.

Roman, however, seemed incredibly nervous.

"I've... n-never done this before," he panted.

"I know," Theo assured him, kissing his boyfriend deeply again, "The mechanics are much the same as you're accustomed to, though."

Without warning, Roman stopped the makeout cold, sitting up on the edge of the futon. His eyes were on his hands, his knees jiggling up and down with anxious energy. Theo had no clue what was wrong, fearing he'd pushed things too far too soon.

"No," Roman mumbled, his olive face suddenly as red as a beet, "I-I mean... never ever. Not even with Luna. She wanted to, and... w-we tried... a few times. It just... n-never felt right, so... s-so I couldn't go all the way."

Theo's lips formed a silent "oh," suddenly awash with shame himself. He slowly sat up and scooted closer, his arms automatically curling around Roman's waist snugly.

"Forgive me, Romeo," he said, "I just assumed... It's nothing to be embarrassed about, really. And, if you're not ready-"

"I am," Roman blurted, his blush traveling up to the tips of his ears, "I mean... I want to. If... you do."

Theo felt his own face flood with heat, among other things. He consented with a few more timid kisses, letting Roman guide his back onto the futon gently again. At the last second, though, Theo wrapped his legs around Roman's waist and locked his ankles together, rolling them both over. Roman hit the futon with a shocked "oof," gulping when he finally seemed to realize Theo had taken the top spot.

"We'll take things slowly," Theo promised, his hands already exploring Roman's broad chest gently, "you're in charge here. If you want to stop, all you need is to say so. Alright?"

Roman nodded, a small, timid grin playing on his lips, "Seems easy enough," he joked. When it dawned on him that Theo was waiting for his permission to start, Roman's playful facade slipped away. After a few more moments of hesitation, he exhaled deeply.

"Okay: I'm ready."

"Good," Theo grinned, "then let's begin."