Sidekicks

Chapter 7: Take Home A Hero

{Author's Note: Comment! Vote! Tell me what you think! :) Happy reading!}

Fuse opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling of his bedroom. He took a breath and felt a sharp bite like ice at the back of his throat.

He moved to sit up and winced when he put pressure on his arm. "Ow." He muttered, turning over. "Ow, ow, ow."

Fuse slowly slid out of bed, struggling to stand on his shaky legs. He clutched the bandages on his arm and shuffled to the bathroom, seating himself on the floor in front of the counter. With a few deep breaths and a sharp squeak, he pulled off the bandage to examine the damage on his arm. He hadn't gotten a chance to see it when he was at the hospital.

"Oh-" Fuse gagged, holding his arm away. He took a breath, ignoring the icy stab at the back of his throat and looking back at the wound on his arm.

It had been a gash during the fight. It had been bleeding all over the place and Fuse had hardly noticed, running on pure adrenaline. Now it had gone from a bloody cut to a blackened burn. His skin was already dark, but the burn left his arm looking almost charred with an odd geometric pattern running across his skin.

Fuse sat there for a long while after gently reapplying the bandages, staring at his arm with disdain.

Should've rolled off it. He thought, using his good arm to rub at his sore legs. Shouldn't have jumped so much.

He heard a knock on the door and his mother's voice, much quieter than usual. "Fuse? Are you okay in there? It's been a while."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay." He said, struggling to pull himself off the floor. "Just a second."

"That's okay, take your-" She didn't finish her sentence before the bathroom door was pulled open and Fuse stood before her, towering like a giant.

"Excuse me." He mumbled, not meeting her eyes.

"Fuse-"

Fuse pushed past her, nearly tripping in the process. "I'm done, you can go ahead."

"Fuse-"

"I'm gonna go get ready for school."

"Fuse!"

"I have a test today-"

"FUSE!" Repulser threw her arm out and Fuse felt his body being pulled back towards his mother by a force that he couldn't see.

"Mom, don't!" He exclaimed, steadying himself when she stopped her telekinesis. "You know that's not good for you!"

"What else am I supposed to do?" She spat, waving a hand in the air. "You haven't talked to me about it since you got out of the hospital. You're supposed to listen to me and you're not listening so what am I supposed to do?!"

"How about you ask me like a normal person?!" Fuse shouted. He stomped his foot and immediately regretted it, pain shooting up his leg. "Ow."

"Ugh!" His mother rubbed her head, adjusting her headscarf. "Okay, okay. Why don't you tell me what happened?"

"I did tell you what happened." Fuse insisted.

"You're hiding something from me, I know it."

"I'm not."

"Don't lie to me!" She shouted, her face going red. "Don't lie right to my face, Fuse, you hear me?! I'm in charge here! Me! Now you tell me what's wrong before I throw you in the lake myself!"

Fuse flinched, stepping back from his mother. Her expression seemed to soften as she watched him rub his bad arm. "I told you. I was just scared. I almost died, after all."