Told You They'd Freak

1- Farewell, Bas

TW- Bullying, Blood warning

Sebastian tried to plug the bleeding with his hands, even though he knew that was the dumbest thing he could ever try to do. Obviously, it didn't work.

"The- the freak's bleeding!" a fat boy looked down at him in horror. "Run!" 

The group of kids who had beaten Sebastian to a pulp took off in a hurry. Even in such a situation, Sebastian couldn't help but smirk and yell. "Cowards!" he called after them. They didn't stop.

Sebastian plopped back down against the wall. He didn't know how he could manage to make it from the gym lockers to the infirmary, but he had to. But try as he might to raise himself up, he couldn't do it with the pain ricocheting in his entire body.

He glanced down at his mobile phone. Should he call Barry? He decided against it. His twin had been excited for a science quiz that day, and Sebastian had no idea what timetable he had for the extra tutoring.

But he didn't have to wait much longer, because a roar of chatter was coming in his direction. He lifted up his head to see the locker room suddenly flooded by boys piling in to get ready for gym class.

Barry entered along with a couple of his friends after bidding goodbye to Iris. He wasn't particularly looking forward to facing Tony smashing him to pulp with a dodgeball again, but at least he could keep quiet about it to Joe.

But when he noticed movement behind the row of lockers... he dropped all thoughts as his face paled.

"Bas!" he cried, rushing to his brother's side. "Did they do it again?" 

Sebastian weakly shook his head. 

Barry huffed. "You look like a supernova exploded inside you, Bas. Now stop lying. Lemme help you up."

Sebastian only smirked. "Shit, I thought I could get away with it."

Barry smiled sadly as he helped up his twin and supported him on his shoulder. Sebastian always had it the worst after their parents died. Only Barry had seen the lightning man, but Sebastian being in denial of his such a being's existence only made him an easier target for the bullies. Whenever they called Henry a murderer, Sebastian would just hang his head low, because from his point of view, he couldn't refute it. Even though Barry had fought for him, he only had Tony to face, but the entire school seemed to be against Sebastian.

Once they were back home, Joe saw Barry struggling to help Sebastian through the door. He rushed ahead to help the boys, then winced at Sebastian's wounds.

"It's not too much, Joe," Sebastian waved his concern off. "Tumbled down a flight of stairs."

Joe wasn't buying it. "Really? Enough to give you purple and red bruises and a ruptured abdomen?"

Sebastian sank into the comforter on the couch. "That was a really long flight of stairs."

Barry sighed and rubbed his forehead. "He was bullied again, Joe. Bad."

"Aw, what? No, pfft," Sebastian tried to dissuade Barry from informing Joe. Barry only glared at him. "The earlier ones were minor, Bas. Joe isn't blind to see these wounds now."

Joe knelt down in front of Sebastian. "We need to talk," he said and waved Barry and Iris out of the room. He patted his other son's hair. "Son, I... I'm sorry."

"What for?" Sebastian asked, unsure.

"For not being a good dad," he said. "I wasn't able to protect your mom, I wasn't able to stop Barry from hallucinating the lightning man, I wasn't able to stop the bullying, and now I'm not able to stop you getting hurt. You could have died."

"I'm fine, Joe, seriously," Sebastian said. "Give it a day or two, and I'll be as good as new."

 Joe shook his head. "No, Bas. Barry has been telling-"

"-On me? That's rude!" Sebastian joked. But one look from Joe made him zip his mouth.

"Barry told me about the bullying, Bas," Joe repeated. "You have it worse than him. Keep this up, and you might not even come back home one day." He shuddered at his own words. "I have been searching for good places for you, son. And I found a school in Ohio with a zero bullying tolerance policy."

"Wha-?" Sebastian was surprised. "Wait, so we'll be leaving you?"

"You'll be leaving, not Barry," Joe sighed sadly. "He's got the best Science education he could ever get here in Central. But you're not built for that stuff, and you and I both know you'd rather go for performing, maybe get into NYADA one day. Isn't that what you want?"

Sebastian only looked down at his feet before mumbling a tiny 'yes.'

"So we need you to be fine and happy for that," Joe responded. "Your mom's cousin sister and her husband, the Smythes, live there in Ohio. You can stay at the school's dorms and keep visiting them at weekends."

"That's pretty good..." Sebastian said. "But I'll miss Barr."

"We'll miss you too!" Barry's voice yelled from the next room. Joe shook his head in exasperation. "What did I say about eavesdropping, kid?"

"Sorry!" came the cheeky reply.

"The Smythes will be going to France for about a year, then they'll return to Ohio, though," Joe resumed as if nothing had happened. "So would you like to go now or go after they come back?"

Sebastian fell deep into thought. "Now. If I want to get a taste of something different, I need to be well-acquainted with Mom's country." (Yeah let's assume Nora's from Paris)

Joe nodded.

****

At the airport, Barry couldn't bring himself to let go of his brother's hand. Sebastian had to finally turn around, chuckling, and prise it open finger-by-finger.

"I don't want you to go... but I want you to go..." Barry murmured. Sebastian sighed at the boy who was a couple minutes older than him.

"We can write to each other," he said. "And call each other. I'll make sure you won't miss me, Barr."

Barry couldn't take it anymore as he engulfed Sebastian in a crushing hug. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too, Barr." 

A/N: Krakenmaster here. This was my first work and a one-shot at that. Did you like it?