Thorns And Roses

Chapter Seventeen

Theo sat on his knees on the soft comforter of his bed. His lip sucked between his teeth as he stopped himself from begging Demi to stay with him that night. It wasn't just the thought of something happening to the Omega if he left, which Theo was worried about that, but it was also the unfamiliar feeling of loneliness that had him wanting Demi there by his side.

There were a lot of things wrong with Theo but he has never felt lonely before. Not until Demi was going to leave him to go across the hall to his room. It was really fucking embarrassing to feel like that.

"I'm okay now, Theo. You don't have to watch over me." That was true. Demi was fine now but that still didn't mean that Theo wanted him to leave. What the fuck was wrong with him? He was acting like a clingy Omega and that wasn't his personality at all.

"But-" God. Was that a whine in his voice? Theo quickly covered his mouth and he could feel the heat of a blush creeping up his cheeks. Fuck. Was he sick? Was that why he didn't want Demi to leave?

"Theo? Are you okay?" Should he lie? Would Demi believe him if he said yes?

"No." He put his hand back over his mouth as the total opposite of what he wanted to say came out. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"So you're not okay. I knew something was up when you acted like you didn't want me to leave. What's wrong?" Theo dropped his hand and stared down at his comforter. God, he was such a lousy Alpha.

"I don't know. Really I don't. I just don't want you to leave." He bit down hard on his bottom lip to stop the word vomit that wanted to keep spewing out.

"I don't have to leave, Theo. You should have just told me you wanted me to stay." Was it really that easy? Just ask and he'll say yes.

"Stay with me." More word vomit it seemed. Demi smirked over at him and leaned over his footboard. That little smile did something to Theo's heart.

"Ask nicely." The fuck. What did Demi want from him? To beg him to stay? "All I ask is for you to say please."

All Demi wanted was for Theo to say a word that he has maybe uttered a handful of times. And never when he wanted someone to stay with him. In fact, Theo was usually the one to kick them out first.

"Come on, pup. You can do it." Theo growled over at Demi for that disgusting name that he just called him. He was probably mocking Theo for the whine that he let slip a few minutes ago.

"Don't ever fucking call me that again." All Demi did was roll his eyes, knowing very well that Theo would never actually hurt him. Never again.

"Just say it," Demi said with an exasperated sigh like he was done with Theo's shit. The blush that had covered his cheeks was now going to his ears and the back of his neck as he prepared himself to basically beg Demi to stay with him.

"Please." He sputtered. The word came out in one go.

"Please what?" Fucking hell. What was this Omega doing to him?

"Please stay with me, Demi." He gritted out between clenched teeth. His fist gripping the bed sheets so tight his knuckles turned white.

"Good boy." Theo relaxed a little at the praise before he quickly pushed it back and glared at Demi. He would never admit what that praise did to him, never ever.

"Wash my hair for me while I take a bath." It was more of a demand than Demi asking Theo. But who was he to say no?

"You have stitches in your head by the way. The doctor said that you can get them wet but to not put any kind of hair product in it. Just use soap and water." Theo said as he slid off of his bed. He followed Demi towards the bathroom and started to fill up the claw foot tub for him.

He went to his sink and bent down to see what kind of bath salts or hell maybe even a bath bomb he had. If he remembers correctly one of his very many Omega's left that kind of thing there.

"I got some lavender-scented bath salts if you want that. Also, don't get your wrist wet." He looked over at Demi to see the Omega peeling off the very many bandages on his arms and wrist. Some of the cuts were deep enough to require stitches so that meant that they couldn't get too wet.

"Got anything that smells like vanilla?" Theo turned back to his sink cabinets and dug a little more. He jumped a little when Demi bent down and wrapped his arms around Theo's neck from behind. His warm bare chest pressed into Theo's shirt-covered back. Theo fell to his knees under Demi's weight. The Omega then pressed his thighs on the outside of Theo's, caging his legs against him.

"You're such a good boy Theo. You know that?" Theo moaned and flushed red as Demi whispered the praise in his ear. He then licked the outer shell, forcing the Alpha to shudder.

Why was he acting like this? He's never blushed so fucking hard in his life before. He was becoming soft towards the Omega draped over him. He could tell he was. Maybe that's why he was being this way. He was falling in love with Demi, wanting to show his more gentler side. Show him that Theo was worthy of his trust and love.

"Stop. I don't want to hurt you, Demi. Please." Demi instantly stopped as if Theo said the magic words. Theo was too shaken up to turn and look at Demi so he just continued to search for anything that smelled like vanilla. He steadily ignored the shaking in his hands from the thrum of arousal that had shot through him when Demi had called him a good boy. Fuck was he gaining a praise kink now? No surely not. Right? He didn't want to think about it anymore.

After Demi's bath, he gave the Omega some clothes and they piled into bed. There was about a foot of space between them and Theo liked to think it was to keep himself off of Demi who lay beside him. When in reality it was for Theo's safety. Demi was becoming something else beyond Theo's capabilities.

"Good night, Theo."

"Night." He softly mumbled back. His eyes already dropping from the past three days of no sleep. With Demi there safe and sound he would finally be able to sleep.

Theo woke up but the room was different. It wasn't his room back at the manor but his room in the orphanage. The one he shared with Quinn. He tried to sit up and felt a tug against his wrist and legs. Theo looked at his limbs to see that they were all tied down. He didn't freak out right away, not until he saw that he wasn't a man any longer but a boy. A boy about the age of ten. What was going on?

"Are you sure about this, Joseph? What if the boy tells someone?" Theo didn't recognize the voice that just spoke. He looked at the door that separated them, getting a feeling that it was already locked.

"He's mute actually. Unable to communicate with anyone here besides the other boy that shares the room with him."

"So that means he can tell that boy. I don't know if I want to go along with this plan of yours Joe." Theo didn't understand what was going on, not really anyways. But somewhere, deep down in his brain and gut, he knew what was happening.

"I've been doing this for years Francis. It's like a right of passage for the older boys that come here. Just ask any of them and they'll say the same thing. Come on, he's really easy."

"Okay fine. If it'll ease my transition here then I'll do it." Theo jumped a little as the door unlocked and two older boys walked in. He instantly recognized one of them. Joseph Anderson. The older boy has been sexually abusing him for over two years now.

And Theo started screaming. He kicked his tied legs and twisted his wrist in the rope wincing at the way it cut into him. He didn't want to be there anymore. Fresh tears tracked down his dirty cheeks as Joseph stepped towards him, another boy following close behind.

Then Theo screamed again.