Please Don't Leave Me

Chapter Twelve

As the pair parked the car in the store's parking lot, Remus took a deep breath. I can do this. With that, Remus stepped out of the car and walked into the building with Logan by his side. As soon as they stepped into the building, Remus felt self conscious. In his mind, everyone in the store was staring at him and his legs, judging him harshly. In reality, nobody paid much mind to the two men who entered the store. Logan took notice of the boy's discomfort immediately, grabbing his hand and squeezing it in a reassuring manner. Remus looked up and Logan and took a breath, steadying himself. "The school supplies are this way," Logan lead the boy to the section of stationary. Remus looked around at the varying items as he walked through the aisles. "First, you will need a backpack to hold all of your work. You can pick whichever one you want," Logan explained as they stopped in front of a section of backpacks. Remus looked at the bags, stopping as his eyes landed on a green and black checkered backpack. "Could I have that one?" Remus asked as he pointed to the bag. Logan nodded before grabbing the bag and moving toward the supplies section. After grabbing the necessary supplies, Logan pulled Remus toward the male clothing section. "I know this didn't go as well as we could've hoped for last time, but Patton will be so excited if you have a new outfit for your first day tomorrow," Logan said. "Are you sure? You don't have to waste money on me, I have some clothes." "Of course I'm sure. Come along, let's look for a shirt and a pair of pants." After searching for a bit, Remus settled on a light gray sweater and a pair of light blue jeans. Logan smiled fondly at the choice, as it reminded him of something that Patton would wear.

The pair walked over to the check out line with their items, purchasing everything quickly before exiting the store. The two got into the car and began the journey home.

Remus was the first to break the comfortable silence. "Thank you so much, Logan. For getting me all of this." Logan smiled. "It is no problem, Remus. I want to make sure you are prepared for tomorrow." Remus nodded, listening to the soft music coming from the radio. As the song ended, "Nine in the Afternoon" by Panic! At The Disco started playing. Remus grinned widely. He loved Panic. Logan took notice, looking at his son fondly. "You can turn the volume up if you want," Logan offered. Remus wasted no time in turning the dial, allowing the music to flow through the car. He started singing along, unable to stop himself. The boy seemed to lose himself in the music, and Logan couldn't help but appreciate how at ease he looked singing along. As the song came to an end, Remus turned the volume back down. "Sorry about that. It's a good song," Remus giggled softly. "You have a very nice voice, Remus," Logan responded. A light blush dusted Remus' cheeks as they pulled into the driveway. The pair exited the car with their purchases in hand. Remus took his new things up to his room, thanking Logan once more as he made his way up the stairs.

Upon entering his room, Remus opened his backpack and began placing his new supplies inside, smiling softly. He never had many things that were his own. This was a fairly new and pleasant feeling. He would have to thank Patton and Logan again at some point. Once his bag was ready for the day, he hung up his sweater and folded his jeans, making sure they were as neat as they could be. After he slid the folded jeans into his drawer, Remus made his way back downstairs, sitting on the couch next to Logan. Logan acknowledged the boy before turning back to the book he was reading. Remus' thoughts began running wild as the silence in the room persisted. His mind was filled with the worst possible outcomes of going to school tomorrow. Before he fell too deeply into the darkness of his mind, Remus broke the silence. "Logan? Can I ask you a question?" Logan looked up at the boy. "Certainly." Remus looked down as he spoke. "Is it normal to be both excited and terrified?" Logan looked at the boy with a knowing look. "Is this about starting school tomorrow?" Remus nodded slowly. "It's perfectly alright to be frightened. It's a new experience, and those can be a bit daunting. But I believe that you are entirely capable of powering through the fear and making the best of your new experience. And if you get too scared, I'll be right by your side." Remus grinned before scooting closer to Logan. "Thank you. That helps a lot." Logan just hummed as he put his arm around the boy and held him close, returning his attention back to his book. Logan soon noticed that Remus seemed to be deep in his thoughts again. After pondering for a moment, Logan began reading out loud. Remus jumped slightly at the sudden sound, but soon relaxed against the man and listened to the story, his bad thoughts gone from his mind.

That's how Patton found them when he returned home from work an hour later. He smiled softly at the sight before walking into the living room and sitting on the couch next to Remus. "Oh! Hello, Patton," Logan said with a smile. "Hi! You two doing some reading?" Patton asked with a grin. "Yes, we are indeed," Logan responded as Remus nodded. "How was the rest of your day?" Patton asked the pair. Logan nudged Remus, silently prompting him to answer the question. "It was a really good day. Thank you guys so much for the supplies and everything, by the way," Remus responded. "It's no problem, buddy," Patton said kindly. "We also got him a new outfit for his first day tomorrow. It is rather charming if I do say so myself," Logan grinned as Remus' face flushed slightly. Patton grinned. "Good! I'm glad you found something. Now, I'm going to make some dinner. Would you like to help me, Re?" Patton asked, standing from the couch. Remus nodded and followed Patton into the kitchen. "If I'm being honest, I don't know anything about cooking," Remus admitted sheepishly. "That's okay! I'll teach you!" Patton exclaimed as he pulled out some pasta from the pantry and a large pot. "We're going to be making spaghetti. First we need to fill up the pot with water," Patton explained as he filled the pot. Once it was filled, he set it on the stove and turned on the heat. "Now, we have to let the water boil. It will only take a few minutes." Remus nodded. "Thank you for letting me help you. I like spending time with you," Remus admitted with a slight blush. Patton's smile widened. "I like spending time with you too, buddy." Once the water was boiling, Patton grabbed the box of pasta and poured it into the pot. "Now, we leave the pasta in the hot water for about 10 to 12 minutes. It needs to be stirred as it cooks. Would you like to do the honors?" Remus chuckled. "Sure." Patton handed the boy a wooden spoon, looking at him fondly as he began stirring the pasta.

Little did he know, Logan was standing in the doorway watching the pair with the same expression.