Title: Burn
Character/Pairing: T-Bag
Prompt: #052. Fire
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Theo wondered if Mr. Ward had any children and suddenly hoped he did, just so he could hear more screams.
Author's Notes: Pre-series. Prequel to "Work." I think I have a little too much fun torturing kiddy!T-Bag. -Also posted on Prison Break 100 and Prison Break Fic-
Disclaimer: Not mine -- just taking them out for a little spin.
"Come on, Bagwell! What are ya, a cissy?" The gym teacher's berating was nothing short of aggravating. Theo squinted at the blinding light and reached a hand up to grasp a higher portion of the rope.
His other hand, sweaty from working to pull him up, slipped and Theo lost three feet before he latched onto the rope with both hands and squeezed his knees tighter for a better hold. His sweaty hands burned and he wished he was back on the ground, where it was safe, but he had to show Mr. Ward, no, he had to show everyone, that he could climb a damn rope.
Just six more feet and he was there . . . but he was slipping again and he cursed his thin, bony frame for lacking the muscle to pull him to the top.
"You're just a weakling, ain't ya, Bagwell? All the other boys could do it. Why don' ya just give up now and go home to play with yer dolls, huh?"
His knees were shaking, fighting a losing battle to keep hold of the rope. He reached up again, and willed his knees to hold out for another few feet.
Mr. Ward grinned up at Theo devilishly and slowly moved the rope—side to side, back and forth.
Theo let out a fearful squeak and clung to the rope. "Stop it!"
The rope ceased moving and Theo's entire body shook with strain, three and a half feet from the top. His body slackened, physically giving up before Theo had mentally, and he slid to the bottom of the rope before dropping onto the mat. Mr. Ward towered over him.
"Ya couldn't do it, ya little pansy. Even the girls made it farther up that rope than you did."
Theo focused on breathing. In, out. In, out. Inhale, exhale. He blatantly ignored his burning palms, his twitching knees, and every ache and pain etched into each and every muscle. Mr. Ward laughed and walked away, leaving Theo in his misery.
A group of the boys swaggered over a few minutes later and circled Theo, who peeked his eyes open before closing them again. Two of the older boys, one twelve and the other thirteen—big, stupid, idiots who couldn't pass the fourth grade—grabbed his arms and pulled him to his feet. Theo swayed slightly but maintained his balance between them.
The thirteen-year-old clapped him roughly on the shoulders, an evil smirk on his face. "Aw, s'all right, cissy. We don' think no better a' ya jus' a'cause you couldn' climb the rope. You's jus' the same as the girls, ain't ya?"
The leader of the group, a smug eleven-year-old who thought he was cool because he brought his daddy's knife to school and carved swear words into the desks, smiled and nodded at the thirteen-year-old's words. "Jus' a little girl who plays dress-up, ain't ya?"
Theo swayed again and wished the boys would go away and leave him in peace.
The two older boys shoved him back onto the mat and stalked off with the rest of the group amid snickers and laughing—almost as if they could read Theo's mind and felt generous enough to pay heed to his wishes.
Theo painstakingly stood and stumbled over to a secluded corner of the gym where he sat the rest of the period, tracing patterns in the dirt on the floor.
Theo cried out and scrabbled away from the three older boys as they pulled at his clothes and ripped his shirt off, exposing his pale, bruised chest. The twelve-year-old tackled him to the ground and held him while the eleven-year-old used his daddy's knife to cut off Theo's pants. Twelve pulled tear-faced Theo into a sitting position, Eleven using the knife as a threat while Thirteen shoved a flower patterned material over Theo's head.
Thirteen pulled the humiliating dress down—not bothering with pushing his arms into the sleeves because it'd just make it easier for him to get out of—and laughed as Theo sobbed and struggled against the material and Twelve's grip.
Eleven helped Twelve drag Theo over to the rope. Thirteen followed behind, separating the first piece of duct tape from the roll while Eleven and Twelve held a hysterical Theo against the rope. Thirteen glanced at his watch before quickly wrapping the gray tape across Theo's chest, over the rope and back. He moved downward until Theo was firmly bound to the rope with no way to wiggle free.
He slapped a piece over Theo's mouth so no one could hear him scream and as a last touch, he stuck a pink bow in Theo's hair before making a hasty exit with the other boys.
Theo closed his eyes, willing the tears to go away, for it all to be a dream. They'd jumped him after school, while he was grabbing his bag from his locker, and dragged him into the girls bathroom. Cosmetics stolen from their mothers lined one sink but Theo had managed to put up a good fight—ruining most of the makeup in the process—and the boys had given up.
Out in the hall, Theo had tried to run but the boys were too fast.
Theo figured it was around four and a sob wracked his body because he was afraid no one would find him. He tried to suck in a shaky breath and let the tears dribble down his cheeks when the duct tape pulled tighter across his mouth. He inhaled snot when he breathed through his nose and choked when he felt it collect in the back of his throat. He moved his lips and pushed his tongue against the skin, trying to break through, thinking if he could wet the tape it might loosen or fall off. When it didn't, he sobbed again before another sob interrupted the first as he remembered the dress and the bow and how much more the kids would make fun of him if they saw him like this.
His stomach was growling and he wanted go home even if he knew Daddy would punish him for being late. He looked at his clothes in the middle of the gym and made a funny whining noise that started in the back of his throat when he saw the ripped shirt and sliced pants. Daddy was going to kill him for ruining perfectly good clothes and for coming home late and for coming home in a dress.
He wiggled beneath the tape, hoping maybe it would loosen and when it didn't he closed his eyes tighter until it hurt real bad and he couldn't stand it anymore and just let the tears slide down his cheeks, over the tape, to drip off his chin onto the floor.
When the door to the gym opened Theo looked up, hoping to find his savior only to find another sob shaking him when Mr. Ward strode across the gym, smiling at Theo, his head tilted to the side in a critical way.
"Well, this sure was a little excessive," he drawled, running his fingers along the duct tape. "Ya think they took it a lil' too far, girly?" He ripped the tape across Theo's mouth away and cringed when Theo screamed. He clapped a hand over Theo's mouth and glowered. "Ya scream like a little girly, too." Mr. Ward leaned in close to Theo, close enough for their noses to brush for a moment. "D'you even have a dick, girly?"
"Sh—shut up," Theo sobbed. "L—leave me alone!"
Mr. Ward shrugged and stepped away. "All right. If you want to hang there all night . . ."
Theo shook his head frantically, sending tears flying. "No! Lemme down!"
"I thought ya wanted me to leave ya be?"
"Lemme down!" He sobbed hysterically, sucking in breath after breath through his mouth because his nose was so full of snot it was just about dripping from his nostrils.
Mr. Ward grabbed a strip of duct tape and began freeing Theo. "Ya gunna tell yer daddy 'bout this, girly?"
Theo sobbed again and didn't answer. He didn't want to face Daddy like this.
Pulling the last piece of duct tape away, Theo dropped to the floor and began scrambling away, wanting to put as much distance between him and the man who'd instigated his torture.
Theo tossed the dress in the garbage cans outside and rushed inside once he was home, making a mad dash to his room, hoping he could get in and lock the door before Daddy noticed.
He made it halfway down the hall when Daddy cuffed the side of his head and sent him sprawling against the wall.
"Where the hell you been, boy?"
Theo sniffled and bit back a sob. Daddy kneeled down and grasped Theo's chin in his hand, jerking his head up to look at him.
"You been crying, boy?" When Theo shook his head, Daddy smacked him and growled, "Won't do you no good to lie to me."
Theo went into a sniffle-filled explanation of the days events and received another smack once he was finished.
"What'd I tell you 'bout them boys? Ya gotta stand up for yourself, Teddy." He yanked the bow Theo had forgotten about from his hair and tossed it away. "Ya gotta be a God damn man, Teddy. If those boys hit ya, ya hit 'em back. If they knock ya down, ya stand back up and slam their heads into the concrete. And if ya ain't as strong as them, well, ya better toughen up."
Daddy cuffed the side of Theo's head once more for emphasis before standing and disappearing into the kitchen. Theo sat there, his arms and legs shaking as all the trauma he'd suffered that day caught up with his body. He crawled the remaining distance to his bedroom and collapsed onto the floor after having closed the door.
"Ya gotta be a God damn man, Teddy. If those boys hit ya, ya hit 'em back. If they knock ya down, ya stand back up and slam their heads into the concrete. And if ya ain't as strong as them, well, ya better toughen up."
Theo rolled over onto his stomach and stared at the space under his bed. He choked back a sob and wiped the unshed tears from his eyes.
He wanted his gym teacher to burn. He wanted Mr. Ward to die a slow, horrible, painful death.
Pain forgotten, Theo stood and left his room, walking to the kitchen where Daddy was mixing a drink. Daddy looked up as Theo walked in and frowned at the disheveled, half-naked boy.
He opened his mouth to spit an insult but Theo's mouth articulated faster.
"Where's the gasoline?"
Mr. Ward lived in a two storey house on First Street, four blocks from the school. It was a friendly neighbor, lots of children, laughing and playing and running around outside with their pet dogs or riding their bikes down the street. There was no crime—it was unheard of in such a perfect little neighborhood.
Theo dashed through backyards, careful to stay in the shadows and not to spill any gasoline from the red canister he was lugging. He looked for gates in fences when he could and climbed over the ones whose gates were locked or lacked one altogether.
In Mr. Ward's backyard, Theo eyed the house warily. There weren't any lights on. He hoped that meant Mr. Ward was in bed with his wife sleeping. Theo wondered if Mr. Ward had any children and suddenly hoped he did, just so he could hear more screams.
He approached the house with caution before pulling off the top of the canister and throwing gasoline over the siding of the house. The pristine white darkened where the gasoline splashed. Theo splashed a little more farther down before moving on to the back of the house.
Five minutes later, he'd emptied the remainder of the gasoline on the front of the house and pulled out the packet of matches Daddy had given him. He pulled one out and ran it along the gritty edge, smiling at the bright orange flame as it lit. He tossed the match at the gasoline dripping down the wall before walking a little ways and striking another match.
A short gust of wind blew by and Theo covered the match with his hand. The flame suddenly caught and Theo's hands were engulfed in bright orange fire, the dangerous element eating the gasoline he hadn't known was coating his hands and licking at his skin, turning it bright red. He screamed and dropped the match before falling to his knees, rubbing his hands in the grass in an attempt to put out the flames.
The house was beginning to burn by now and lights inside had flicked on after Theo's shrill scream. Mr. and Mrs. Ward rushed outside, shielding their young daughter from any smoke drifting from the burning side of their house. The three stared at Theo as he cradled his hands and sobbed.
Neighbors were standing in the threshold of their homes, gasping in awe at the spectacle that was the Ward's burning home before noticing the boy lying in the grass, fitfully twisting every which way, his sobs just below a horrible shriek.
Sirens in the distance announced the imminent arrival of the police, the fire department and the paramedics. Theo tried to pull himself to his feet and run but Mr. Ward was kneeling beside him before he could do it, pushing him back into the grass, a mixture of anger and shock shaping his features.
"The hell is going on, Theodore?" he demanded, cringing at the sight of Theo's hands.
Theo stopped his sobbing for long enough to answer. "I wanted you to burn."