little lion man

tremble for yourself you know that you have seen this all before tremble, little lion man you'll never settle any of your scores your grace is wasted in your face your boldness stands alone among the wreck now learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck

[wiccanofwitch]

Billy’s fingers traced along the metallic ring on the light bulb that lied on the table, a low flicker of light emitting through the glass every so often. His ability to manipulate electricity still intrigued the mutant and to this man, a light bulb would be his equivalent of a fidget spinner. His focus shifted as he felt a pair of eyes remaining on him for a lengthy amount of time, looking in the person’s direction. “I’m not able tell if you spaced out or have been intentionally staring. So I’ll simply ask you if there is anything I can help you with?” The student asked. 

[theomcmahon-blog]

Theo’s eyes flickered open from their lightly-closed position, the boy just beginning to doze off as his head leaned heavily on his hand, elbow resting haphazardly on the table in front of him. Some feet away, the faint flickering of light had burned through his eyelids, and it didn’t take long to notice who was causing it. He stared with annoyance at the older male, eyes hooded with intention. If he had the ability to shoot fire with just his eyes, he’d have seared a hole through the older boy minutes ago. Finally, the other’s attention fell to him, and he raised his eyebrows. “Simply, can you not -” He motioned with his hands, obnoxiously imitating the blinking. “- with the lights? Gonna give me a fuckin’ seizure.” Frankly, it hadn’t been that bad, but the more it happened, the more irrationally irritated he felt.

[strangerthingscast]

Finn Wolfhard photographed for Boys By Girls Magazine.

[microwave-confections]

Heya Kid || Angel & Theo

It had been a time since the attack, and though a lot had been revealed because of it, life was beginning to kick back to normal. Powers flared up by students who couldn’t control them, teachers continued to do their duties to the student body, and plotting happened behind the scenes for mutant kind to either hurt or help them. Same old, same old, really.

Angel herself had gone back to the routine of a daily walk, baking, helping with dinner or lunch, and then cooking club once a month with some physical activity littering whatever hours she had free. Just because she was no longer a Hellfire Assassin didn’t mean she could let herself go. Now that she was a member of XMen, she had something to prove.

A sea of students consistently passed her each day, but it was rare a face stood out from the crowd. Then, suddenly, one did. One she hadn’t seen since the battle. A little boy, who she remembered being afraid but also valiant, struggling with his powers. How had she not seen him since that day? How had she nearly forgotten? Angel made a b-line toward him. 

“Heya, kid.” She said, awkwardly. “How’s things?”

@theomcmahon

[theomcmahon-blog]

Theo strolled out of class, excited to make it back to the quiet of his room, but careful not to make himself look too willing for anything. Bundled in a jacket three sizes too big, the autumn air flushed his normally pallid face, and he felt a small shiver run down his spine. The mass majority of the sea of students were walking the same way as him, many making contact with his shoulders as they hurried by, earning unseen daggers of looks from the boy, who shoved his hands in his pockets and carried on.

It was then that he realized his bag felt a bit light, and he wondered with a start if he had forgotten something at the school. He darted out from the crowd towards a nearby bench, digging through his bag to be sure; everything was there, he just remembered he had an extra textbook in there this morning. He sighed, and was just throwing the bag back over his shoulder when a voice, directed at him, startled him back, sending him jumping a bit.

He shot a glare at the woman who looked at him, and realized she looked familiar. A thought from her own brain suddenly echoed into his own: that night, she had helped him. The memory resurfaced - because of all that had happened that night, somehow, he had buried much of the details. He recalled that feeling of gratefulness in that moment, but refused to show that gratitude now. Instead, he crossed his arms in front of him, pretending he didn’t remember.

“Fine...” He muttered in a standoffish tone, eyes not leaving hers. “Do I know you?”

[theomcmahon-blog]

petrosing:

“You’ve never had a food coma?” Dom asked in reply, eyes sparkling in excitement as if it were his own personal goal now. “You’ve never eaten so much on Thanksgiving dinner that you feel like you need to shit and burp at the same time?” He asked, gesturing with his white plastic fork in one hand. “That you can’t even fit into your jeans, not your ass or your stomach, and you are forced to change into sweats. only to fall face-first into your bed and black out for the rest of the night because your stomach is just that much full?” His smile still lingered, but only for a moment, before he realized how absurd his questions were. Of course this boy, this fraction of a boy (both physically and emotionally–from neglect, not his own doing of course) had never eaten so much turkey that he fell asleep early, only to wake up to a still-full belly. God, what an idiot Dominic was for rubbing that in the little boy’s face.

He pushed the rice away from him and silently picked up the orange chicken. He put two pieces in his mouth to keep from speaking again for awhile, but they were soon swallowed and he put two more before moving on to the broccoli beef. He took a bite or two before piercing a piece of broccoli onto his fork. He put his weight on his left hand on the bed, leaning forwards and shoving the fork to Theo’s face. “Have a broccoli. Vegetables are important, you know. Protein is good, but … vegetables are better. I need to start… paying attention to your intake. It’ll give you energy and heal that hole.” Dominic smiled gingerly when he finished.

Theo’s furrowed eyebrows couldn’t mask his look of slight amusement as he watched Dom’s eyes partialy glaze over as he spoke. He tried to wrap his head around the whole concept: eating so much good food that you could vomit and pass out. Eating yourself into a coma. His eyes traced over Dom’s face as though he was trying to envision it in the other boy’s features. He yearned to be able to understand something like that, and he felt viciously self-conscious over the fact that he simply couldn’t, but kept it in. His own eyes lowered as he noticed the prompt shift in Dom’s tone, the older male’s smile falling. He tried to untangle it rapidly in his head: he wasn’t sure if he had done something wrong in not replying, thus instantly getting on Dom’s nerves. Or maybe the older boy felt uncomfortable. Theo, desperate to figure it out, attempted to break the ice - but sounded awfully nonchalant, of course. “You make it sound so tempting, Petros. Gaining twenty pounds in two hours, needing to shit and burp and vomit and pass out? Sign me up,” he droned, rolling his eyes teasingly, not noticing as he shrunk his figure into the bed a bit.

Theo eyed Dom as the other male ate, trying to gauge the speed at which he shoveled food into his mouth. Desperate to blend in at least somewhat to the crowd of mutants, he had taken it upon himself to try to pick up some things he hadn’t learned in his thirteen years - one thing he noticed, was how quickly he ate. Like someone behind him was about to snatch it up if he didn’t eat it all right away, like, if he left any on his plate, he would regret it after three days afterwards with no food. You don’t have to think like that anymore, right? At least not for now. No one here is worried about that. So, he settled for small, quick glances as Dom ate, not even realizing that the close proximity was fading into more of a background factor, rather than being at the forefront of his mind.

He had brought his gaze back to the food in front of him, about to pierce another piece of chicken before being startled out of it by a fork rapidly approaching his face. He jerked his head back instinctively, an incredulous look pasted on his face as Dom spoke. He glanced from the older boy, to the vegetable, and back to Dom. “Seriously? You’re gonna call this -” he motioned towards fork in front of his face, before pushing it away slightly. “- a vegetable?” He took the fork from Dom, and held the food in front of his face to get a closer look. “It’s barely even green,” he remarked, a slight grin dancing on his lips as he bit it off the utensil, chewing quickly. He decided to brush off the comment about the hole in his chest, always one to ignore the problem. “Pay attention to my intake? How thoughtful, considering I really don’t think I see you eating them too often yourself.”

[mrbenwyatt]

[godofcorn]

[theomcmahon-blog]

petrosing:

As Dom dressed into warmer clothes, he nodded in response. “Chinese is fine, sure.” He passed a smile to the boy. After he had finally put his shoes on and was reaching for the door handle, Theo mumbled a few words. Did Dom hear it correctly? He turned around and cocked his head, a bewildered, sly smirk on his face. Before he could respond, Theo muttered something about Dom’s height. He noticed his hands working underneath the fabric, twisting and pulling at it. The boy wasn’t even aware of his doing so as it seemed. “You’ll grow Theo,” was all he said before he shut the door behind him and jogged to the cafeteria. He ordered two plates consisting of chow mein, broccoli beef (the kid needed some greens to heal, right?), orange chicken, sweet and sour pork with extra sauce as well as wonton soup with the big clumps of meat/dumplings and lots of hot broth with mushrooms and cabbage, and a fat order of fried rice. The room would smell heavenly.

The meal cost a whopping $16, but Dom figured it was worth every penny. A feast for maybe 24 hours. Technically the boys could be hermits. He carried the food in a big cardboard box, almost big enough for Kai to sit in. He’d wanted a plastic bag, but the man behind the counter laughed at him… whatever. He almost didn’t recognize Finn in an almost-empty hall. Finn would’ve hugged him if not for the food in his arms. They spoke for only a minute, Dom letting the other know that he had been stuck at a movie with Theo for the majority of the fight the night before (only a half-lie, right?) and that the food was in fact for the boy. When Finn asked to come see him, Dom accidentally lost control of his voice, and refused. He made up some stupid reason, and through Dom’s empty mindedness Finn was able to peck a kiss to Dom’s cheek. Dom immediately got a few more water bottles for Theo and shoved them on top of the rice in its white container.

He almost forgot about the dog, but was able to hold the leash in one hand. When getting back to his bedroom, he practically pushed it open with his shoulder. He immediately dropped the leash, letting Kai go to Theo. “The room’s gonna smell good for days,” Dom expressed, shoving the box onto the bed next to the younger boy. He knelt down and handed the other boy the soup and placed the water bottles on the floor for later use. “No bowls, so just drink from the soup like a thermos.”

Dominic crawled onto the bed, back against the wall so Theo was to his left. “I can’t promise that we won’t get a food coma, but I suppose it’s worth it. I don’t usually get the Chinese food here, so it’s like a treat,” he said, using a fork to eat a mouthful of the rice. The food was still fresh and pretty hot, so he almost burned the roof of his mouth. “Careful, blow on it,” he reached for Theo’s hands holding the styrofoam container like a cup of hot cocoa at a SF Giant’s night game, clutching for dear life. He only brushed Theo’s fingers as he pulled the cup to his lips to blow on the steamy liquid.

As soon as the door shut behind Dom as he went to get the food, Theo let out a heavy sigh, running his uninjured hand through his hair. Having a moment to himself, he allowed himself to sink into everything that had just happened, feeling them all at once now. He sat still on the bed, head in his hands, breathing heavily. He couldn’t believe that he had been that exposed in front of someone, that Dom had seen everything. He was more in shock than anything - something he had guarded with his life for thirteen years, exposed, just like that. He wondered once more what Dom was thinking.

He took one final swig of water, the bottle emptying quickly. He wasn’t quite sure what to do now, sitting in silence. His eyes traveled upwards hesitantly, connecting with the mirror across the room. He gazed at himself, eyeing his frame for the first time since last night. His face fell even further as he observed his sunken eyes, his pale skin, his small frame swimming in the massive clothing draping over him. A familiar sight, only made worse from the events that had preceded this. He couldn’t stomach looking at himself for more than a moment before darting his eyes back downward. He felt some kind of unwarranted anger bubble up, directed entirely at himself. The hand holding the water bottle shook for a moment, before chucking it towards the wall suddenly. He let out a sigh, shaking his head. Just like that, the anger swept away, leaving him nothing but tired.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there in a daze, but it had to be some time, because he was startled from it by Dom’s return. He turned towards him, letting out an uncharacteristic smile at the dog who ran straight for him. “Kai...” He exclaimed quietly, his voice, just for a moment, that of a normal, excited thirteen year old. The dog lifted his front paws onto the sitting boy - Theo winced for a moment, but was too happy to see the dog to care much about the pain. He glanced up at Dom as he continued to pet the dog - his stomach roared as the smell of the food hit him like a truck. He nodded in agreement, raising his eyebrows at the sheer amount of food in the older male’s arms.

He gingerly took the soup from Dom, the heat feeling incredible against the chill of his skin. He held the container like a mug of hot chocolate between his hands, which were still covered by the fabric of his sleeves, and carefully opened the lid. 

He swallowed harshly as he spotted Dom crawl into the bed next to him. He felt his frame stiffen considerably, the presence of another human body beside him, eyes purposely staring down at nothing but the soup, his gaze unmoving. He tried to go completely still, but the inherent quivering of his hands ruined his attempts. Theo attempted to force his breathing to be still, jaw clenching to an almost painful level, fingers now gripping the soup as though it was the only thing keeping him anchored. His mind was spinning and blank all at once.

He blinked a couple times, ripped out of his trance by Dom’s words. He felt inwardly guilty - he shouldn’t feel like this around Dom. The older boy had done more for him in the past 24 hours than he had remembered anyone else in his life. And for what? Nothing in return. He had just seen Theo bared down, had helped him bathe. So why was he so nervous about this? Somewhere deep down, he knew it had nothing to do with Dom at all. But he couldn’t wrap his head around it now, instead just feeling unsettled.

He still didn’t meet Dom’s eyes as the other boy blew on the soup, eyes darting around the room in front of him. In an attempt to make him seem calmer - at least attempting to match Dom’s own composure  - he spoke back, hiding nervous, reserved amusement with a mask of nonchalance. “Don’t know what a food coma is, but it sounds great right about now.” His voice broke slightly, but he cleared his throat quickly and moved on. He pulled the soup to his lips and blew once more, before tilting the soup to his lips. It was still hot, but no longer scalding. It instantly warmed his belly, allowing him a second of calm in the nausea-inducing circumstances

Theo glanced up nervously at Dom, before quickly moving his gaze away, letting out a small, guarded smile. “S’good,” he mumbled, before taking another sip of the soup. He glanced down at the floor beside him, and seeing Kai sent a slight wave of relief over him. His eyes moved back to the soup, still gripping it tightly. He glanced at the rest of the food, but didn’t want to release the warmth from between his hands. Still, he knew Dom might want some, so he took one more sip before placing it carefully back into the box on the bed. He picked up the orange chicken, using a plastic fork to gingerly bite into a piece. He was starving, but didn’t want to look too enthusiastic or desperate about it. But, god, it was delicious.

[theomcmahon-blog]

Theo was angry today. If you were to ask, and he were to tell the truth, he wouldn’t be entirely sure why. Life was exactly how life normally was now: class and food and structure everyday, contrasting with everything he had grown up with. But it had been like this for a couple weeks now, and it was no different today - but his anger only seemed to be escalating. He was a small frame to be carrying so much anger, thin and pallid with too much hair that almost but didn’t quite cover the dull fury in his eyes. His tremoring fingers were all but hidden in a pair of black, fingerless gloves, and he almost disappeared in an oversized sweatshirt that was situated under an even larger jean jacket. You could barely tell there was a human under all that fabric.

But, here he was, eyeing the bike across the sidewalk with an indignation, as though the bike had personally come up to him and punched him in the face. It was yards from him, but he didn’t move forward. All he knew was that he needed to break something, he needed to channel his vague anger before he took it out on someone... that’s what one of his teachers was trying to instill on him. Today, he would decide to try it out, although it wasn’t exactly in the way the professor had in mind.

He looked around the area, observing how empty it was, before settling his eyes back to the object. Focusing on the bicycle in front of him, his hand - which stayed inconspicuously by his side - began to close into a fist. It was slow, but he put his full energy into it, dark eyes boring into the metal frame. Slowly but surely, the bike began to distort, crushing into itself further and further. As his fist continued to form, he heard the jumbled sounds of a bike chain snapping, air being popped from tires, metal screeching. By the time his fist finally formed completely, the bike was already simply becoming a mess of parts. Still, he kept putting pressure into his fist... more and more until it was shaking and his nails were leaving harsh imprints on his palms and his knuckles turned even paler than his normal skin. Finally, the bike was nothing more than a tightened ball of metal, screeching with pressure. 

Suddenly, he opened his fist into a flat hand, and flicked it sharply in the direction of the building behind it. The former-bike flew backwards, smashing into the wall with a loud bang. Just then, he noticed a presence beside him, and almost jumped out of his skin. He quickly regained his composure, staring daggers into the person suspiciously: Theo’s small frame might not serve him well, so he resorted to using his look to drive people away.

“What do you want?” His slightly-raspy voice rang out into the air, piercing the silence. He raised his eyebrows defensively, but unapologetically. “Hope that wasn’t yours.”

[theomcmahon-blog]

petrosing:

It grew quiet except for the water lapping around the boys, now cooling to a lukewarm temperature. Dom was grateful that the bath was practically over after Theo didn’t acknowledge what he had said. Maybe it was for the better. Dom had grown up being affectionate to all his friends since he didn’t get anything at home. It was hard. He grew up with a loving, understanding and tender mother, and when she had died everything had been ripped from him. So he looked for ways to fill the void elsewhere. He had gotten his license and a job as soon as was physically possible and refused to come home, partying with girls or booze or friends until the early hours of the morning. He made just enough money to support himself and spent the rest of his time working on relationships which no doubt ended up crashing and burning, until he came to the mutant school. He craved substance and intimacy, but was simultaneously afraid of it, afraid of it being taken from him all over again. It was this weird limbo between wanting others and pushing them away, until he met some good friends at the school, and the stable environment showed him how to interact with others more efficiently.

He almost regretted his earlier words to Theo, but instead decided that it was inevitable to happen, regardless of last night. It had happened much sooner than Dom expected, but watching a little boy die in front of your eyes would turn your insides to mush and make you want to protect him. At least, that was what Dom had experienced. None of his words had been a lie, and as he tiptoed around Theo to get him ready to dry off, he realized that had he had a baby brother to take care of all those years ago, to devote his time to instead of running away from home… Things might be better. Putting someone before himself was a new feeling for Dom, and he couldn’t begin to fathom how weird the feeling was for Theo to have someone feel the way about him as Dom did. Dom had inklings of Theo’s past, but not much concrete ideas except for Theo’s mannerisms and scars. He remembered something Theo had asked earlier, a little hysterically, ‘Why are you helping me?’. What had Dom replied? Something like ‘I care and love doesn’t need a reason.’ Bullshit. He wanted to help him. Wanted Theo to overcome his fears or… feel comfortable in his skin… move on, if possible. Soften up? No one would lay a finger on that boy again. And yet, Dom hadn’t been able to stop a knife slipping into his heart. What a great big brother he was, or friend or neighbor or classmate or whatever the hell they were to each other. Dom accidentally sighed with the hell that was going on inside his brain, wondering if he was suffocating Theo. Too much too fast, doing more harm than good. Probably. Sounds about right. 

He had to stop himself from hugging the boy when he handed the towel over. He had to clench his jaw rather than wrap the boy up himself or rub his shoulders to keep him warm. Things his mother had done once upon a time. Another sigh came out of his mouth.

“Well,” he said finally, faking a smile at the other. “You never have to go through that again. Hopefully by the time you need another bath, err, shower… you’ll be strong enough. There’s uh, no harm in asking a healer, you know, for help. I can even… ask for you. Or whatever.” Dom hadn’t meant to sound so aloof, but he was coming down from his high. He enjoyed the intimacy of the bath, meanwhile Theo had fought tooth and nail against it. Loudly. “I’ll uh… help you get dressed, then I’ll go get some dinner. Maybe bring Kai in for the night.” He slowly walked Theo out of the bathroom, both boys dripping behind them. His legs and toes felt cold without a towel, but he led Theo to the bed opposite of the door where they had put a few pairs of clean clothes for the boy. Theo stood shivering and reached for a shirt. “Arms up,” Dom said, and the boy could only lift them halfway before wincing.

Dom had to stop himself against talking. He knew the boy would feel humiliated needing help getting his fucking clothes on, but he threaded Theo’s arms through the holes of a dark long-sleeved tee. His breathing wheezed with discomfort and fragility. The boy, cheeks still aflame but slowly losing their color, sat on the bed and pulled some sweats up over his thighs. Dom lingered just long enough to make sure he was ok. He handed him a pair of socks to keep him warm.

As Dominic made his way to his own dresser to put on dry clothes, he asked over his shoulder, “Any recommendations for dinner?”

Theo shook his head fervently at Dom’s words of a healer. He hated the idea of telling anyone else what had happened - even just the thought of it put him on edge. He would just pretend like nothing happened. Yeah, good idea McMahon, stick to what you’re good at. He instinctively reached for Dom as the two began to walk, using the taller boy’s arm to steady himself. He spotted the clothing that had been set aside for them both earlier, and eyed it carefully. He had grown up wearing stolen clothes and hand-me-downs, mostly oversized and ratty. But these clothes? Clean... almost brand new, even. He looked up at Dom, and knew just how large the clothing would be (considering the boy stood almost a full foot taller than him), but was just yearning to have something to cover him up. Besides, the more fabric, the better.

He feared the words he knew were coming next: arms up. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had dressed him, even when he was a little boy. Maybe when he was five, when he was living at the foster home. A better time, snatched away like it never existed at all. Maybe that’s how this would be. Just a splotch of good before reality struck again. Savor it before it’s gone for good. Theo was snatched from his thoughts by a pair of expectant eyes that were settled on him. He let out a hesitant but defeated sigh, and lifted his arms. If he wasn’t sure before, he was positive now: he definitely wouldn’t have been able to put it on himself. His arms barely reached halfway before they seized up, paralyzing him from moving them any further. Pain shot through his chest, into his shoulders and straight into his back. He hissed a painful breath in through his teeth, wincing heavily. The effort to slide his arms through the sleeves, and guide his head into the neck of the shirt took a toll on him, and, by the end, his chest was heaving and his face and brow were contorted slightly into a look of pain. 

He was thankful that the bath had relaxed his muscles enough to the point that he was able to slide the sweatpants on, even if it was only when he sat down. He rolled them up enough to where he wasn’t completely tripping over them, and tightened the drawstring as much as it would go. Warmth began to flood through him as he pulled on the socks, and was silently grateful to Dom that he gave him clothing that would cover the most skin. He had been unprepared for that much exposure, which had been an unforeseen shock to his system and mind. He balled up the mass amounts of extra fabric at the ends of the shirt sleeves in his hands.

“Uh, I don’t know...” He breathed, his hands fidgeting in his lap. He hadn’t been used to being able to pick his food - much less something that wasn’t fast food or from a vending machine - so he was still getting used to it. He thought for a moment. He didn’t realize just how hungry he had been until just now, and his stomach rumbled out in response. “Um, Chinese?” He glanced up at Dom, as though searching to see if it was the right answer. He caught himself, though, and glanced back down. He reached for his water bottle (he had downed two and a half at once the moment he woke up, only stopped from finishing the third by Dom, who told him he’d get sick). Still, he had this insatiable thirst scratching at his throat. He took a large gulp, before twisting the lid back on. 

He pulled himself over the bed, until his back rested on the headboard. He felt like he had lost fifteen pounds in the fresh clothes, and his damp hair was no longer clumped together with dirt and blood. He felt fresh everywhere but his hand and his chest, both stark reminders of what had happened. He could almost feel his heart beating through the wound, but kept quiet about it, without realizing he had brought a hand to it, trying to rub it just slightly to relieve some of the discomfort. He remembered Dom’s words in the bathroom: now was the proper time to say thank you, right? He wasn’t sure. “Thanks.. for the clothes. And... yeah.” It was jolted and awkward - the phrase felt foreign on his tongue - and he wasn’t sure if he said it at the right moment. He glanced down at the sweatpants legs, which still passed his feet, despite being rolled up. He smirked slightly to relieve some tension, putting on a face of indignation. “Not sure why you have to be so tall, though.” In reality, though, the abundance of clothing felt like an abundance of armor, and he relished it.

[dailylittleliars]

[theomcmahon-blog]

@petrosing

[theomcmahon-blog]

petrosing:

“You. Are. Welcome,” Dom murmured to the younger. “And last one more day with grime and sweat and who knows how much blood caked on your skin and clothes? No. I already changed the sheets, you’re staying at least one more night. Then I’ll let the little hostage go. I just… need to make sure you can walk, y’know?” Theo grew silent as Dom worked on getting him squeaky clean, but soon began doing his portion of cleaning himself. Good, he’ll want to do something for himself. Not being used to others helping the poor guy, he thought silently as dirt ran down Theo’s thin, pale legs.

“Oh yeah? I smell do I?” Dom smiled down at the boy, feeling warmth inside that didn’t come from the hot bath water soaking his shirt and legs. “If you were feeling better I’d crouch in here and take a fuckin bath with you,” he teased. “But no,” he said more gingerly. “Gotta keep an eye on you. Up here, I can see everything.” He didn’t mention his back. He didn’t mention Theo’s hand gripping the side of the tub. He didn’t mention that Theo looked like a doll on the other side of the room, lifeless and white and silent. No. Theo’s skin was reddening from the heat of the water and room. He almost had a grin on his face, and the fact that his whole body shone from the wetness tried to hide the pink and white scars on the boy’s back. Camouflage, almost.

The boys grew quiet again, and all that could be heard was some splashes in the water and Theo’s labored breaths, probably half-exhaustion and half-determination. After a rinse, Dominic mumbled “Just conditioner is left and we’ll have you outta here buddy” in hopes of calming any nerves Theo held. They were almost done, Theo’s worst nightmare of being naked and helpless was soon over. Dominic need never see those scars again, for either of their sake. “Um… yeah. Sometimes.” Dom put a small amount of conditioner in his hands and rubbed them into the back of Theo’s hair, stopping any chance of eye contact. “It happens. It varies. It’s hard to explain, Theo. There’s layers and politics and shit, now that mutants are known to exist. People feel threatened on both sides and it’s stupid. I’m not gonna tell you not to worry about it because the last thing you’ll do is one, sit still and two listen to me, but … Yeah. It happens. Not often.” As Dom spoke, he began playing mindlessly with Theo’s hair, brushing it back with his fingers because this would probably be the last time he could touch the smooth locks.

He wondered why it was easy for him not to joke around Theo, to speak openly instead of in code. Theo could tear him down with a look, a word. But after last night, Dominic was more open to just being, talking, not making a comeback, not trying to one up the younger boy. “So don’t think about leaving to fend for yourself because a group of people is better than a single fucking person, let alone a boy and his dog. If there’s anything about the X-Men I agree with it’s that you need to have each other’s back on your team. You need to look after one another. And to hell if you run away and hide and try to do anything on your own again. You have four fucking walls and a friend. A…. brother.” He ladled the bucket into the water and let it trickle down Theo’s back, one hand holding the bucket up and the other getting any of the remaining suds out of the kid’s hair.

“That is stupid,” he mumbled in agreement, as he splashed water on the remaining soap. He watched suds continue to form in the water around him as he thought about it. There was so much in the world that he hated, that were terrifying and painful and corrupt. To fight over something as trivial as whether or not someone had an ability or two sounded absurd, especially if both sides had them. Still, knowing there was some kind of external danger at place he thought was preternaturally regulated and peaceful gave him a sense of familiarity - almost a comfort. His chest rose and fell a bit heavily now, the slight effort of bathing taking a bit of a toll on him. His next words were quiet, eyes resting on the water before him but not really seeing it as he flashed back to last night’s events. “Is anyone doing anything about it?”

He allowed the silence to exist again, only the sounds of moving water wafting through his ears. His eyes were tired, his heart still hammering anxiously in his vulnerability. The fact that his scars were so apparent to Dom hadn’t left his mind since the moment his shirt came off, and he felt a little nauseated the more he thought about it. As Dom spoke of the need for a team, Theo thought back on many nights: as a general rule, he felt safer alone than with someone else. “Y’know, a boy and his dog can do a lot by themselves,” he muttered, eyes on the water in front of him, fingers tracing the surface gently. Still, here Dom was, talking about teams and friendships and... brothers. 

He stiffened slightly, his heart doing something it never had before, and it scared him. He wasn’t sure what the feeling was, exactly, but it felt warm... nice, even? His eyes traveled up to the empty area straight ahead of him. It had always just been him. The less people around, the better. The only person he could trust was himself; he had learned that long ago, and he had never challenged that thought. So why was he rethinking it now? Why was the idea of staying in this room with Dom for another night comforting? The thoughts jumbled in his head, the unfamiliarity jarring him, but the older boy’s presence somehow calmed him down a bit. He felt a smile just rise to the corners of his lips, before swallowing it down promptly. He wasn’t really sure why... he wasn’t sure of much right now.

He felt Dom finish up, his head now rinsed. He let out a silent sigh of relief as the other boy opened the drain, and watched for a moment as the drain began to devour the water. Theo didn’t stand until Dom approached once more with a towel. He stood slowly to avoid dizziness as much as possible, before stepping carefully out of the tub. At least when he sat, he was able to keep his legs up, making himself as small and covered as possible. Now, he stood, exposed and shivering as the warmth of the water contrasted with the cool air. He took the towel from Dom, quickly drying his arms, torso, and face (he knew he wouldn’t be able to reach his legs), before wrapping the fabric around himself, pulling it around his tightly. He drowned in the fabric, which was comforting in both warmth and coverage. His hair was still sopping wet, but he felt an intense need to cover himself up again, even though the older boy had seen pretty much everything by now anyway. Old habits. He avoided Dom’s gaze as he glanced back at the tub, which was now swallowing the rest of the water, and, with it, the final remainders of the night before.

[petrosing]

Moodboard feat @theomcmahon

[theomcmahon-blog]

petrosing:

“You’ll smell better than me because you showered six hours after me? Damn, such faith in my body, or rather, body odor,” he joked softly back, glad that Theo’s personality was coming back and he had taken the bait to change the subject. He put his hand up to Theo’s forehead as the water level returned, clear and steamy. “Well at least you’re… A good temperature.” He was going to say warm, because of how cold the boy was when he… But then when he woke up, he had been on the opposite spectrum, like night and day. Rather than relive the last night though, he shook his head and cleared his throat.

The younger boy, small in the tub as if he could fit nine more of himself huddled with his knees near his chest, once again saved Dom from reliving an unwelcome memory or experiencing discomfort. “No, it isn’t. I can’t say I envy people who take care of others, but I guess once in a good while is okay,” he said rather chipper. “Just glad I don’t have to like, wash my grandma every week. You, though? I can handle this. And, like, last night we saw a movie, so… the weekend was already made. Just maybe… um. You ever hear of positive reinforcement?” he smiled gently, rinsing off the soap from Theo’s back after it had been lathered up. “A smile or thank you go a long way, buddy.” He patted Theo’s pale shoulder and noticed his own fingers were getting pruny. “Time for shampoo,” he said, not expecting a response. He was already forgetting the heart-to-heart (if it was even that) from only a moment earlier.

Dominic put a generous amount of shampoo in the palm of his hand and worked it into Theo’s hair, massaging the roots and above the ear. He’d never actually shampooed someone else before, so it was weird to be doing it with his arms outstretched instead of on top of his own head. He pulled Theo’s bangs back, rinsed his fingers, and got Theo’s forehead wet so the shampoo wouldn’t run down into his eyes. He made sure to get the back of Theo’s neck and even stood up, put a foot in the tub, and leaned over the boy to ensure he got all sides evenly. He hoped he wasn’t being too aggressive to the boy who had a hole in his fucking heart. As he dipped the bucket in the water to rinse Theo off, he asked “Do you need me to clean your legs? Your feet, at least?” Standing with both legs in the tub and pajamas wet halfway up his calf, Dom poured the bucket over the child’s head, and chuckled unexpectedly when half the water splashed back onto his own shirt. At least it was warm. He’d probably change both articles of clothing later, he thought easily.

Theo’s back glistened from the hot water, and Dominic almost didn’t notice the scars. He knew it would take awhile to get used to the sight, but he no longer got a gut-wrenching feeling of despair when he looked at the naked boy. However, towering over Theo directly from behind, it became painfully obvious how small he was. And he was probably growing. Dom tried not to think about it, but his mind suddenly went to the idea that Theo had probably been much smaller when he acquired most if not all of those scars. He choked silently and put a second coat of shampoo in Theo’s hair.

“I smelled better than you while I was still dirty,” Theo chimed, raising his eyebrows. He didn’t turn his head to Dom, but appreciated the slight distraction. However, the comment about his temperature brought much of it back. He realized that he had been getting chills despite the heat radiating from his body, and how his head was drenched in sweat from last night’s broken sleep even though he couldn’t seem to have enough blankets. Able to think (slightly) more clearly now, he wondered - semi-rationally - how this could have happened. How had he been dead for an hour, then come back with no resuscitation? He would have to find some way to bring it up in a hypothetical manner to a professor later. He wasn’t quite sure why he didn’t want anyone else to know, but it ebbed at him.

“Positive reinforcement...” The younger boy repeated under his breath. Dom’s following words explained it, and Theo sighed. “Thank you...” He croaked out hesitantly, not used to the words on his tongue. It wasn’t that he wasn’t grateful - he was, straight to the core, in the deepest way possible. It was just so foreign to express it verbally, to give the other person recognition. “But I told you, I could’ve gone to my room and done it myself tomorrow.” He tacked the last part on for good measure, not entirely serious, which showed in his voice. His innate need to not seem vulnerable was showing, despite his current physical predicament. 

Before Theo knew it, he felt Dom’s fingers massaging the cool product (which sent goosebumps over his skin) into his hair, and holy shit that feels really good. He closed his eyes into it, letting out a heavy, silent breath. He got lost in it, and hadn’t even realized that Dom was now in the tub and standing over him, until he spoke. This caused a slight jump in Theo, before responding quickly. “Mm-mm,” he declined, shaking his head. With his stiff, aching legs pulled up against his chest, he knew he’d just be able to do it himself. Besides, having Dom help him so closely, face-to-face in the manner which they were made him nervous, like Dom would be able to see right through him. He spotted the bar of soap on the corner of the tub, reaching over for it. He lathered his good hand as Dom poured water over his head once more. He turned around slightly, so he could see the other boy out of his peripheral.

“Dom, you’re soaked,” he mused, letting out an amused hint of a grin, before bringing up his earlier jibe lightheartedly. “I guess if your smell is any indicator, it’s probably best that you bathe yourself again, anyway.” The breaks in tension were all that could keep Theo sane right about now. 

As he began to slowly and gingerly work the lathered soap on his hand around his legs and feet, he felt Dom begin another round of shampoo. He couldn’t remember the last time someone actually bathed him. Even when he was tiny, he remembered teaching himself how to use soap and shampoo properly, as it wasn’t exactly his mother’s top priority. He had gotten shampoo in his eyes back then more times than he could count. Dom took extra care to keep that from happening. Dom was good at a lot of stuff, he noted to himself... he wouldn’t utter those words to the older boy, though.

His skin was actually feeling refreshed as he finished with his legs and feet. He glanced down at his chest - some stubborn smudges of dirt still remained, splotched around the angry wound. He carefully rubbed them off, but it took quite some time, as he had to work delicately; the area around his injury was bruised and tender, and even the lightest touch sent sharp, unforgiving pains radiating from the spot.

As Dom was finishing up the second shampoo cycle, last night’s events kept circling in his head. If there was one thing he hated, it was being caught off guard, taken by surprise. He wanted to know what was going on. He took a moment to think about what he was going to say, wording it delicately: he remembered how engraged Dom had grown, how a whole other side of him came out, how utterly tired he was of being attacked. He silently hoped he wouldn’t prod a nerve. “Last night...” He began, biting the inside of his cheek before continuing. “It’s... that’s happened before? Why did they attack us?” He asked quietly. Another thought ran through him, skyrocketing his own nerves. “Do you think they’ll come back?”

[theomcmahon-blog]

petrosing:

Dom had snorted when Theo imagined Kai loving him, just to let the boy know that Dom had heard his remark. But then it went quiet except for the soft splashes of Theo in the tub, of water falling down his pale skin, bringing flashes of pigment from the heat. Dominic smiled because, although Theo’s face was more morose than any young teen’s, he looked like a kid after playing on the monkey bars all afternoon, cheeks flushed and arms red and toes clean like that little piggy nursery rhyme. He wondered if Theo had known it, ever heard the phrase and been tickled by a parent and laughed in return.

And Dominic wondered if he could get Theo to smile… this child would have had something to make him forget, if only for a second, about that big searing hole in his chest.

When he touched Theo’s back and asked his question, he hadn’t really expected an answer. The boy had been looking down almost continually since last night. Although his head sometimes turned towards Dom, his eyes were still buried under water. “Ah, like stretch marks? Visible but… not… painful? That’s a bad example.” He wondered if Theo ever picked at them, but that’s not something you go around asking. He rinsed off Theo’s back again, water grey with clumps of mud and blood floating around. “Um, hold your breath for a second, gonna rinse out your black hair.” He trickled a heavy bucket of water over Theo’s head and rustled the hair at it’s roots, trying to get some of the grime out. He did it again. The water was finally starting to lose it’s temperature. And Theo spoke again.

“Um, I dunno really. I want to, mostly. Want to help you, make you happy. Everyone deserves happiness, you know? Uh… I don’t know why I’m singling you out, but. I am… I know that’s not really what you wanna hear… Like. I know I talk a lot, but really… I’m not good at words either.” He sighed at his own half-assed attempt at a reply, finally pondering his own intentions. “I just care about you. Sometimes…” Shit. “Love doesn’t need a reason,” he mumbled.

He quickly redirected Theo’s attention. “I think I’m gonna drain it and then we can lather you up. You can finally smell good,” he smiled as he leaned for the front of the tub and pulled the white plug. They watched the water suck down the drain. 

Theo furrowed his eyebrows, letting out a breath of a laugh, despite himself. “Yeah, bad example.” He sighed. “But yeah, I guess.. something like that.” But no, not like that. Sometimes one or two flare up, or itch, or you just become viciously aware of their existence, like they’re foreign objects pulling at your skin. He kept this to himself. He nodded as the Dom spoke, shutting his eyes tightly once more. He felt the warm water drench the top of his head, softening the rough dirt that had clumps the strands together. On the next pour, he could feel the liquefied filth drip from his head, into the tub around him. Despite now being wet, his head felt five pounds lighter.

After gingerly rubbing excess water from his eyes, he opened them once more, staring straight ahead. His eyebrows knotted in concentration, trying to take in what the struggling male was saying. His wracked his brain, trying to connect Dom’s words, until the last couple sentences. Care. I just care about you. Theo felt his fingers fidgeting once more as he tried to process it. He knew there were people who claimed they cared about other people... but was this that feeling? Is this what that felt like, to be on the receiving end of a thing like that? You feel the same way too, a voice in his head suddenly (and firmly) stated, surprising him. He tried to ease the tension in his brain with a sly remark as the other boy commented on his own use of words: “Yeah, I could’ve told you that.”

Dom’s last words were what took him most off guard. He knew what it was like to love someone, to a very limited point. He loved his mom, despite everything she did. He couldn’t help that. But the pain outweighed any benefit of the feeling when he was incapable of being loved back: it was something he learned at an early age, so he learned to shut it off. Requited love, care, feeling between two people didn’t exist for someone like him. He stared off into space for a moment, trying to sort out the mess in his brain. 

He was thankful when Dom redirected him, which brought him back a little. “I’ll definitely smell better than you,” he muttered, giving Dom a quietly amused side-eye. He nodded, He watched the drain quickly suck up the remaining blackened water. He was freezing for just a moment, feeling ten times more self-conscious without water to hide himself in. But Dom was on the faucet quickly, and, before he knew it, the tub was filling up once more. As the stream ran, he felt a fabric touch his back, and he jumped, his head instinctively craning to see... just a washcloth. He let out a silent breath of air, trying to release the tension in his shoulders. He could feel Dom hesitating, being as gentle as possible, and the other’s words swirled in his head once more.

Theo held his injured hand up, looking at it in front of his face, and he swore heavily to himself in his head when he saw light shining through it. He brought it down again, careful not to drop it into the rising water, as it grew irritated with any contact. He had been to hospitals enough to know that he hated anything even resembling a nurse’s office, so he kept quiet about it for now. The pain in his chest dwarfed it anyhow. He decided to let another tension-releaser out. “Bet this wasn’t how you planned on spending your weekend,” he mused, before gritting his teeth as Dom wiped over a fresh bruise on his shoulder.

[theomcmahon-blog]

petrosing:

Dom was kneeling by the tub to feel its warmth. He had already taken a bucket out from under the sink, regretting that the bathrooms didn’t have adjustable shower heads. But he had signed up as Theo’s protection squad the day he started talking to him, the moment he had called him kid, smiled at him, comforted him about the lunch crowd. Fuck, the memory made Dom smile. How innocent he had been thinking talking to some kid in the hall would be the last he saw of the shrimp in the other room. He bit his lip, remembering Theo shrug ‘I’m just in for the free food, then I’m out,’ and his little voice squeaking out ‘a burrito sounds good.’ That wasn’t even long ago, a month tops. He turned his head and Theo was suddenly leaning against the door frame of the bathroom, and Dom realized the bath was scalding. He fixed the temperature and the kid opened his mouth.

So the little boy does speak, he thought silently, only looking up at Theo. He couldn’t help feel sorry for him, it wasn’t just the scars, but hoped it didn’t show on his face. He tried to narrow his eyebrows to cover up any pity, because the last thing a thirteen year old needed was someone looking down on him. Dom stood up as the other boy was still fumbling over his words, eyes terrified. Not of the water, Dom knew. In a few quick strides he was in front of Theo and wrapped his arms around the boy. “It’ll be okay. Let me take care of you one more time,” he murmured softly. He didn’t care about the dried blood, the smell, or how crusty Theo’s hair was. He hugged him tight as if trying to warm him up even though the child was moments away from making it into the steamy tub. “And afterwards, I’ll go get Kai for you. Maybe I can even find some more food, real food this time from the cafeteria. Some for you and me and Kai. Maybe he’ll end up liking me more than you do. And then these efforts will all be worth it.”

He hadn’t meant to sound so glum, so he sniffed hard and led the boy towards the tub. Theo undid his own jeans and Dominic helped him step out of them, being a shoulder for Theo to lean on and a hand to hold as he stepped over the lip of the tub into the bath. The water immediately darkened, and Dom scooped some water into his handy dandy bucket, then gently poured it down the boy’s back. He traced a few of the scars with his fingertips and cleared his throat out of embarrassment. “Besides your chest,” he started, already regretting opening that damn mouth of his. But the cat was out of the bag, no turning back. “Does any of it hurt?”

As Dom rose and wrapped his arms around the younger boy, Theo felt a shudder rise out of him, still shaking against the clean fabric of the other boy’s shirt. He knew he wasn’t succeeding in talking him out of it. He didn’t know if he had ever felt as tiny as he did in this exact moment. He thought about Kai for a moment - his only companion for those years. The only thing he had ever trusted. He wondered if it felt the same to trust a person. He let out a small sigh at the word efforts - he felt viciously self-aware, but he let out a strained breath of a laugh into Dom’s shirt. “More than I do...? Won’t be too hard,” he teased weakly, although his voice didn’t ring with that acerbic wit that it normally did - instead, the tone was small and defeated.

And then, just like that, he was being led to the tub, and the anxiety was taking a hold of him again. Calm down, it’s fine, he’s fine, nothing is going to happen. Still, no matter how much his mind tried to convince him, his body was slow to follow Dom to the tub. When the moment came to remove his last articles of clothing, he tried to numb his mind, to zone out - it was something he had learned over years of conditioning. He stepped into the tub, mind still blank before the heat of the water around his ankles and calves drifted him back into the moment.

He lowered himself into the tub quickly, trying to make himself as small as possible. He immediately was overtaken by the heat of the tub, the cleansing effects already starting, soothing his skin and muscles to the point where he almost let out a relieved sigh. Still, he stayed quiet, simply closing his eyes tightly as he drew his knees to his chest. He felt a shiver run up his spine as the temperature in his body rapidly shifted, and his muscles continued to relax. 

He didn’t open his eyes as he felt the tip of a finger trail down his back. At first, he had flinched forward, sending a small area of water around his sides forward in a wave. But, eventually, his body recognized it. This wasn’t anyone he used to know. This was Dom. And he wasn’t here to cause anymore pain. The self-consciousness was still there, but he let it swelter inside. His body still shuddered a bit, but it was slightly more under control. He lowered his right cheek onto his knees - eyes still closed, as he tried to relax more. He was still a bit zoned out, still unsure of what exactly was happening, but he let it be for now.

His eyes flickered open as the other boy spoke - the silence had enveloped him for that moment - but remained hooded. His let his head face straight forward again, entwining his own fingers on both hands together. The only thing he hated more than talking about himself, was talking about himself like this. Utterly vulnerable, emotions raw and skin exposed. “Um...” He started, realizing he owed Dom something. He had saved his life for nothing, let him sleep in his room, been with him every second, all for nothing in return. So he’d pay him back with something. “Um, n-no, I mean... sometimes. Sometimes...” He touched his arm absent-mindedly, fingertips touching old, little, red cigarette burns, fingers almost small enough to match them perfectly. “Sometimes my muscles start hurting...” he halted himself right there. That was for an entirely different reason, a reason the scars didn’t show, reasons involving strong hands pinning him harshly. His heart hammered, and he changed the path of his speech. “They used to, but I think, um... I just got used to them.” 

His voice was faint, barely a hum. He glanced at the darkened water, his tranced state slowly drifting into one of higher awareness. He touched the fresh wound on his chest gingerly - it was throbbing harshly from contact with water, but he knew it needed to be flushed. He felt himself coming further back into himself - his body remained relaxed, but his mind started to race again. His mind was always fucking racing. He didn’t dare meet Dom’s eyes - he had never experienced this level of intimacy without harm, and he felt viciously out of his element. Again, he shuddered, still vividly aware of how disgusted Dom had to be. “Um, why...” His voice trailed, second-guessing himself, his mind screaming at him to shut the hell up. But still, something in the pit of his stomach urged him onward. “Why, um.. why have you been helping me? I haven’t - I don’t have anything to give you back, I don’t...” He shook his head lightly, head still throbbing. He just wanted to understand, and - in his slightly disorientated state - there wasn’t as much inhibition holding him back. HIs eyes stayed down, but his chin tilted toward Dom.

[theomcmahon-blog]

petrosing:

Dom’s eyes widened as the boy tore for the opposite direction. Dom hadn’t tried to scare him, but Theo’s face shared a past full of fear and tension. It made sense as the cogs in Dom’s mind started turning, thinking about their interactions over the last few weeks, Theo shook uncontrollably and his chest heaved up and down. Dom watched with wary eyes.

He stood in front of the boy and slowly got down to one knee. Making himself smaller helped him be in Theo’s vision. He looked up at the other and clutched both his little wrists in his hands lightly, using his thumbs to rub Theo’s arm. He opened his mouth and closed it. After a pause, Dom spoke. “I know you’ll probably be fine, but after the devastation last night, I’m not risking another soul, you or anyone else getting hurt… I know you can’t enjoy sitting in blood and grime. Doesn’t a nice hot bath sound relaxing?” He realized he was speaking to Theo like a baby, and he sighed more at himself than the situation. Damnit, I know he’s like ten years younger than me, but how do I even act after that? Pretend I didn’t see him have some traumatic response to my sudden reaching for him, touching him? Fuck!

Dom nodded and stood up. He was able to easily pull off the jacket Theo wore, but his hands trembled as he grasped the hem of the younger’s shirt, similar to Theo’s perpetual quivering that once again Dominic had never spoken of. He tried to quickly pull it up and over Theo’s little body, but not too fast to hurt him. He just wanted the pain to be over. Thankfully the cloth didn’t get stuck and actually complied for the first time of the entire weekend. But what he saw had Dominic’s stomach in knots and his Butterfinger and Lays chips beckon to be regurgitated. Instead, he swallowed the lump in his throat and looked down at Theo who donned multiple scars across his stomach, shoulders and back.

“Shit,” he couldn’t help the words escape his lips in a whisper. He shook his head. “No, I didn’t… that’s not at you.” Fuck, everything I say is wrong. The boy stood before him shaking like a leaf. He looked to be freezing. “Um.” Dom had nothing to say, and rather than hurt the boy any more than had happened in the last 24 goddamn cursed hours, he went to get the tub ready.

He noticed Dom lowering down on his knee, and Theo actively avoided his gaze, humiliated beyond belief. He stared straight at his feet, at the floor beside him, anywhere but the older boy. He tried feebly to pull his wrists away as he first felt the light grip, but he dropped the effort soon after. A hot bath did sound amazing… he had only had one of those in his whole life, when his mother had scammed her way into a halfway decent hotel. And, god, these clothes felt like another person’s skin, he wanted to rip them off and grow new skin and just forget everything that had happened in the last 24 hours.

With a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it speed, his eyes flickered up to meet Dom’s, then immediately back down. He tried to analyze him in that moment, but the moment their eyes met, he felt the nerves overtake him again. He felt his thin wrists shake under Dom’s gentle grip, the feeling of his thumb on his arm oddly comforting. Still, his breath hitched as the visions kept coming - constantly switching between his mother’s, several men, and Dom - all with severely differing tones. He gaped his lips slightly, trying to let out a shaky breath silently, but failed. Calm down, you’re acting dumb, you look ridiculous. Dom can see how weak you are. Stupid, stupid,stupid.

He didn’t respond, instead feeling automatic tears begin to well in his eyes as Dom reached for his jacket. He’s gonna see. He kept his eyes down, trying to hide the forming tears from the other boy. He weakly allowed the jacket to be removed, exposing the filthy shirt underneath. He’s gonna see. He felt his skin shudder away from Dom’s touch as the other male reached for his shirt’s hem. Theo shrunk away instinctively, just a couple inches, involuntarily. His efforts to hide his tears began to fail, and his face twisted into a viciously terrified sadness for a moment, before he forced it back down, trying to maintain a look of neutrality. He finally forced himself to stay still enough for Dom to do what he needed. He’s gonna see. He’s gonna be disgusted, it’s disgusting, how did you let yourself get to this point? If you could take care of yourself better, you wouldn’t be in this room right now. He gonna take one look at you and throw you out. As Dom lifted the fabric over his head quickly, he let out a sharp hiss of pain, and then it was gone. Nothing between him and Dom, and there he stood, small body shivering in an unforgiving mixture of fear, humiliation, and pure cold.

He knew the scars. He had seen them a million times, had gazed loathingly at himself in the mirror, thin fingers tracing the trails that had left harsh red tones that contrasted sharply with his pale skin. He had several white and faded scars, short but apparent, littering along his rib cage. Even worse were his shoulders and back - slightly more unfamiliar to him - which held the harsh, blisteringly red welts that had never gone away, ranging from a couple inches long to over a foot, all of them looking fresh, no matter when they had occurred, and barely left any normal-colored skin anywhere along his back, ebbing along his too-apparent spine. Cigarette burns, welts, and cuts ranged up and down his thin arms and collarbones, as well as a particularly discolored scar around his upper wrist, where he had been bound for a week when he was nine. All of them were topped off by the freshest scar yet: the deep one gashed across his chest, viciously red and irritated. It hadn’t been the best idea to leave it soaking in the filth of his clothing overnight.

He was determined to keep the tears in as he crossed his arms in front of him, but his eyebrows were twisted into something resembling a mixture of humiliation and intense discomfort, and he bit down on the inside of his cheek, hard. The wound on his chest felt like it was pulsing - he could literally feel the heat radiating off it - but he tried his best to ignore it.Shit. He heard the single word leave the other boy’s lips, and he cursed at himself. Stupid, disgusting. Look what happens, this always happens, what else did you expect? His eyes darted to the side to avoid even seeing Dom out of his peripheral, even as the other boy tried to recover his speech.

Finally, when he felt Dom get up, he expected to hear the door of the bedroom open soon after, a beckon to leave. But then he heard the bathroom door hinge squeak, and the tub. The tub. Holy shit, he wanted to help him take a bath. Theo’s nerves bubbled up and over, and, slightly muffled by the sound of the water running, he let out an uncontrolled sob, wracking his entire body. Fuck, he couldn’t physically run, he could do anything but stand there, but do nothing. Of course he knew Dom himself wasn’t looking to do any harm, but the thought of this, of all of it… it literally paralyzed the boy. The little stone boy, cracking.

He finally found his footing, and stumbled to the bathroom before leaning heavily on the door frame. His eyes found Dom by the tub, and his voice grew in desperation. “Dom, c’mon, it’s not that bad, I’ll just… I’ll just wash in the sink. It’s-it’s fine. I’ll… I’ll get clean, I won’t smell. I can sleep in the other bed, and I’ll be able to clean the rest tomorrow myself. Dom…” His tone was pleading, eyes still glimmering with tears, but wide, like a trapped animal. He had decided to briefly abandon his stoic, walled-off demeanor for something purely visceral, everything in him screaming for this to not happen, trying to appeal to any sense Dom might have.

[theomcmahon-blog]

petrosing:

“Your own room? Uhhhhhh…. No. Sorry, but no.” Dom sat up straight. “You’d probably like, pass out or hit your head on the sink or something. Fall asleep in the tub. No. You can barely move let alone lift your arms. I’m… not leaving you out of my sight, as sad as that is,” he shrugged at the end. But Theo was already working on getting out of the bed. The sight made Dom’s own chest hurt, and Theo’s wheezes were audible. The boy kept fighting for autonomy, but Dom lent out a hand. Instead, Theo used the bunk bed for support. “Theo, come on. Don’t leave,” he said softly. “Theo.” The boy was determined, Dom could tell. “You-you-you can’t even make it to your room on your own without clutching the wall. Lemme help you,” but the boy avoided eye contact, looking straight down. It hurt Dom more than he wanted to admit. After everything that happened last night, crying together, Dom about to dig a grave with his own two hands. Didn’t Theo know he would support him? “Theo, look at me.” He clenched his jaw, biting back any tears that wanted to fall. “Goddamnit, don’t you know I care about you!” he yelled frustratingly and grabbed for Theo’s shoulder to turn him around.

Theo felt his cheeks burn as Dom tried to say anything to get him to stay. He’s just saying it to avoid feeling guilty. Give him space. So he wouldn’t help him to his room... fine. He would just stumble there, no matter how long it took. In his efforts, he refused to look up at the other boy, who’s attempts to get him to stay were sounding more and more desperate, but Theo wouldn’t listen. He tried to wrack reasons that Dom would want to help so much - some kind of misguided guilt, a feeling of necessity, not wanting people to know that there was some filthy kid that had been in his room; the real reason never even occurred to him. 

He had just managed to take a shaky step forward, when the newfound sharpness of Dom’s voice halted him in his tracks. He barely had a second to register it, though, as he felt a hand grab his shoulder to pull him around. Theo flinched away - hard - which caused him to stumble forward a couple steps, just barely staying on his feet. His heart literally skipped a beat, not helping the heaves coming from his chest. If he wasn’t looking at Dom before, he was actively avoiding his gaze now. He felt himself shaking, and tried to will himself to calm down. Fucking stop, Theo, you look ridiculous. Still, his body wouldn’t let him relax. His hands desperately clenched the bottom hem of his sleeves, pulling them over his palms.

He vividly remembered his mom’s voice when he was six and told her how much he had loved his foster family. Roy’s, when the seven year old told him he didn’t want that mysterious “special” tab on his tongue that day, that it gave him stomachaches and made him see things. Elliot’s, whenever Theo tried to fight back or cried or tried to get away. His shoulders tensed, subconsciouly trying to make himself as small as possible. But he didn’t move to leave, the tone having triggered something. “Okay,” he murmured faintly in little more than a whisper, sounding - and feeling - desperately young.