Please Don't Leave Me

Chapter Eleven

TW: Abuse Scars
The following morning during breakfast, a tense silence hung over the small family. Remus could feel it, becoming increasingly uneasy as the minutes ticked by. Finally, he worked up enough courage to let out a quiet, "What's wrong?" "What do you mean, bud?" Patton responded. "Well there's very obviously something wrong. You guys are acting strange," Remus nearly cringed at his forwardness. "You are very astute, Remus. We just have something that we would like to discuss with you," Logan said, looking more nervous that usual. Remus' heart dropped. They've finally reached their limit. They're sending you back. "It's nothing bad, darling, I assure you," Logan said softly, recognizing the boy's slight panic immediately. Remus nodded, forcing himself to take a deep breath. "Lo and I were thinking that it would be a good idea to enroll you in school," Patton stated, eyeing the boy in an attempt to gauge his reaction. "Oh, cool! What's the bad part?" Remus replied. Logan let out a relieved chuckle. "That went far better than expected." Remus furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head slightly. "We just thought that you may be upset about starting school. Most kids your age don't really like it all that much," Patton explained. "But we a very relieved to hear that you are not upset about it," Logan added. Remus nodded before furrowing his eyebrows slightly. "What is it, love?" Logan asked. "Well, last time I went to school, the teachers told me I was a bad kid. Will my new teachers hate me too? I don't want to be difficult for them." Patton and Logan shared a sympathetic look. "No, darling, you were never a bad kid. Those teachers simply did not take the time or care to accomdate for your conditions. Your new teachers are far more caring and will take extra precautions to help you and make you feel the most comfortable that you possibly can," Logan explained. Remus smiled widely at that. "Really?" "Yes, really. And if it helps at all, I teach at the school that we are enrolling you in, so if you ever need me, I will only be a few hallways over," Logan explained, thoroughly enjoying his son's reaction. Remus jumped out of his chair and hugged Logan tightly. "Thank you so much, Logan. This really means a lot to me." Logan smiled softly as he held the boy close. "It is no problem at all." Patton smiled widely at the pair. Logan had been a very closed off man for as long as Patton had known him. To his knowledge, he had been the only one to crack that shell. Seeing this boy break down the man's walls was incredibly heartwarming for Patton. "Would you be okay with starting school tomorrow, Re? I know it's rather last minute," Logan said kindly. Remus nodded quickly. "Perfect. In that case, Lo was gonna take you out to get some supplies for school today." "Aren't you coming too?" Remus asked. Patton shook his head. "I wish I could, bud, but I have to start back at work today. I took a few days off to make sure you were settled in," Patton explained. Remus nodded slowly. "You didn't have to do that for me," Remus mumbled. "I know I didn't. I wanted to," Patton replied. Something about that answer resonated with Remus. He wasn't doing any of this because he had to. He wanted to. Remus smiled lightly at the thought.

"So, where do you work?" Remus asked soon after. "I work at a library! That's actually how I met Logan," Patton smiled fondly at the memory. "Really? How did you guys meet?" Remus asked, a small smile gracing his lips. "Well, I was putting back some books that had just been returned when someone ran directly into me and sent me tumbling to the ground," Patton said with a teasing glare toward Logan. Logan blushed brightly. "In my defense, I was reading the most fascinating novel and I hadn't seen him standing there." Remus giggled. "After apologizing over and over, I finally cut Logan off and said, 'You know, you could always make it up to me by taking me out to coffee some time.' I don't think I've ever seen him blush that hard," Patton giggled as he finished the story. Logan shook his head fondly. "I don't know how else you'd have expected me to react. After all, the prettiest boy I had ever seen had basically asked me to go out with him. Of course I was going to blush." Remus looked between the blushing and quite obviously love struck couple fondly. He enjoyed having parents who genuinely cared about each other. "Now that we're both flustered messes, I'm going to go get ready for work," Patton giggled as he stood up and grabbed the dirty dishes, placing them in the sink. "Thank you for breakfast, love!" Logan yelled after him. "Thank you!" Remus added, not wanting to seem ungrateful.

Logan turned back to to the boy, clapping his hands together. "So, would you like to leave soon? For the store, I mean," Logan asked. Remus nodded, heading toward the stairs. However, Logan reached out and stopped him. "Remus, I know you may not want to, and that is perfectly alright, but it is rather hot outside today," Logan started. Remus froze with wide eyes. "I can't, Logan, I can't." Logan touched his arm lightly. "It's okay, love. I'm not going to make you do anything. Would you want to borrow some shorts and a thinner long sleeved shirt? I just do not want you to overheat." Remus swallowed. He really didn't want to disappoint Logan. "Yeah, that works," Remus said softly. Logan nodded and moved up the stairs to his room, grabbing the clothing quickly. Upon arriving outside of his door, Logan handed Remus the clothing items and turned back into his room to get ready. Remus entered his room and looked at the clothing he was given. A pair of black basketball shorts and a thin navy long sleeve. Remus pulled off his shirt and put on the new garment quickly. He stilled for a moment before pulling off his pants. He looked at his legs and cringed. They were covered in various scars and burn marks. However, these weren't self inflicted. On his arms, the marks from his parents were covered by his own inflicted scars. His legs, however, were only filled with reminders of his past abuse. He pulled on the shorts, rolling the waistband until they rested just above his kneecaps. He grabbed a pair of black socks and pulled them on before sliding on his black high tops. He looked down at his outfit, taking a deep breath before stepping out into the hallway. Maybe Logan won't notice.

Of course, he could never be that lucky. When Logan came down the stairs and caught sight of Remus, he audibly gasped. Remus looked up quickly at the sound. "Re, your legs...why didn't you tell me?" Logan asked, his tone soft. Remus looked at the ground, not wanting to see Logan's saddened expression. "I didn't want to disappoint you," Remus replied. "Darling, you could never disappoint me about something like this. If you're uncomfortable with something, please tell me. We will never force you to do anything." Remus nodded. "Do you want to go change?" Logan asked. Remus thought about it before shaking his head. "Are you sure? You don't have to do this for me." "I'm sure, Logan. I need to do this for me. I never showed my legs because I was scared of what the scars meant. That I was weak and worthless. But you and Patton don't make me feel that way, even after knowing about my past. So I don't think I need to hide them anymore," Remus responded, looking at Logan with slightly teary eyes. Logan let out a breath before pulling Remus close. "I'm so proud of you, love."

Remus smiled at that. He liked the feeling of someone being proud of him.